The concept of abnormal hemispheric organization in addiction research

In addition to the established areas of endogenous psychoses, the concept o f abnormal hemispheric organization in the field of psychiatry is also gene rating ever greater interest in the area of research into addiction. On the basis of the demonstrably higher rate of developmental risk factors (pre-, peri-, postnatal), in particular the marker left-handedness (LH) has been interpreted as an indication of induced hemispheric 'malcontrol' in endogen ous psychoses In various studies, elevated rates of LH have also been shown in alcoholics. Alcoholism could be related to biological factors associate d with anomalous cerebral dominance. In a joint study carried out by the An ton Proksch Institut in Vienna (Austria, and the University of Erlangen-Nur emberg (Germany) involving a total of 250 alcohol-dependent inpatients, the hypothesis of deviant laterality in the presence of an elevated frequency of developmental risk factors has been confirmed exclusively in male alcoho lics. A comparison of subtypes has also revealed that Type IV in the Lesch typology, and Type II in the Cloninger classification, are more vulnerable subtypes. These results clearly show that there are differences to be found within the overall group of alcoholics, and underscore the need for subtyp ing and gender-specific studies.