Eye-hand preference dissociation in obsessive-compulsive disorder and dyslexia

ABSTRACT

Dyslexia may be a development disturbance in which there are alterations in visual-spatial and visual-motor processing, while obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disease in which there are alterations in memory, executive function, and visual-spatial processing. Our hypothesis is that these disturbances may be, at least partially, the result of a crossed eye and hand preference. In the present study 16 controls, 20 OCD (DSM-IV criteria) and 13 dyslexic adults (Brazilian Dyslexia Association criteria) were included. All had a neurological examination, the Yale-Brown scale for obsessive-compulsive symptoms application and the Zazzó evaluation for laterality, abridged by Granjon. Results showed a right hand preference for 100 percent of controls, 84.6 percent of dyslexics, and 75 percent of OCD patients and a right eye preference for 73.3 percent of controls, 69.2 percent of dyslexics, and 35 percent of OCD patients. The left eye preference was significantly higher in OCD when compared with the two other groups (p = 0.01) and the left hand preference of OCD patients (25 percent) was also significant when compared to Brazilian population (4 percent) or British population (4.5 percent). It is possible that this crossed preference may be partially the reason for visual-spatial and constructive disturbances observed in OCD