Parametric and nonparametric genome scan analyses for human handedness

We have performed a genome scan using 25 nuclear families consisting of right-handed parents with at least two left-handed children. Handedness was assessed as a qualitative trait using a laterality quotient. Laterality quotients indicate the direction of handedness, which is hand preference for performing unimanual tasks. Both parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses were applied. The parametric analysis using the single-locus genetic model of Klar resulted in four different regions with LOD scores higher than 1. The region on chromosome 10q26 gave a suggestive LOD score of 2.02 at a recombination fraction of 0.05. Nonparametric analysis gave an NPL score for this region of 2.16. However, further fine mapping of the region on chromosome 10q26 failed to obtain a higher LOD score. These results suggest that handedness is a human quantitative trait locus and that the proposed non-Mendelian monogenic models are incorrect.

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