Thirty left-handed patients hospitalized for stroke were examined for
mood disorders. Patients with left hemisphere lesions and nondominant hand
impairments had significantly higher depression scores and more depressive
diagnoses than patients with right hemisphere lesions and dominant hand
impairments. Major depression was strongly associated with left anterior
brain injury, and depression severity was significantly correlated with
proximity of the lesion on CAT scan to the left frontal pole. These
findings are almost identical to previously reported results from
right-handed patients and suggest that cerebral lateralization of
poststroke mood disorders may be independent of cerebral motor dominance
and language dominance.Abstract Teaser