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To cite this Article Tan, Üner, AkgÜn, Ahmet and Telatar, Münir(1993)'Relationships among Nonverbal Intelligence, Hand Speed, and
Serum Testosterone Level in Left-Handed Male Subjects',International Journal of Neuroscience,71:1,21 — 28
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.3109/00207459309000588
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00207459309000588
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Intern. J . Neuroscience, 1993, Vol. 71, pp. 21-28 0 1993 Gordon and Breach Science Publishers S . A .
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UNER TAN
Ataturk University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology, Erzururn, Turkey
AHMET AKGUN
Black-Sea Technical University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology,
Trabzon, Turkey
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MUNIR TELATAR
Black-Sea Technical University, Medical Faculty, Clinic f o r Internal Diseases,
Trabzon, Turkey
The relationships among nonverbal intelligence, hand speed, and serum testosterone level were studied
in male left-handers ranging in age from 17 to 19 years. Hand speed was measured by a peg moving
task. T o assess the differences between nonverbal IQs. Cattell’s Culture Fair Intelligence Test was used.
There was a direct correlation between IQ and testosterone. IQ increased linearly with right-hand speed,
which was directly related to testosterone. There was no significant correlation between IQ and left-
hand speed, which was not significantly correlated with testosterone. IQ decreased with left- minus right-
hand speed, which also decreased with testosterone. It was suggested that nonverbal spatial reasoning
ability may be directly associated with the efficiency of left brain, which is favored by testosterone in
male left-handers. It was also concluded that the left to right asymmetry in hand speed may depend on
efficiency of the right brain in left-handed males.
It was frequently reported that there is an association between sex hormones and
cognitive performance in humans. For instance, Money and Meredith (1967) found
an elevated full scale IQ in precocious puberty. Galatzer et al. (1984) have reported
that a high IQ is associated with both precocious puberty and precocious adrenarche.
In accord with these findings, Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) have reported that the
male spatial superiority is generally evident only after puberty. Nass et al. (1990)
have found a deficit in spatial performance in females with precocious adrenarche.
On the other hand, Nash (1979) has even argued that individuals will perforrn better
on cognitive tasks when their self-concepts match the sex stereotyping of the tasks.
Signorella and Jamison ( 1986) have evaluated this hypothesis and reported that re-
sults from spatial and mathematical tasks, which are usually stereotyped as mascu-
line, support Nash’s hypothesis.
Address correspondence to Prof. Dr. Uner Tan, Atatiirk University, Medical Faculty, Depairtment of
Physiology, Erzurum, Turkey.
21
22 U. TAN, A . AKGUN AND M . TELATAR
Sex hormones have also been reported to alter spatial performance in rodents (Jo-
seph et al., 1978; Stewart et al., 1975). Roof and Havens (1992) have studied the
sexual dimorphism in the granule cell layer of the hippocampus of rats and found a
strong correlation between the size of granule cell layers and maze performance;
neonatal testosterone treatment of females resulted in a more male-like hippocampus.
I have previously shown that nonverbal intelligence (Cattell’s Culture Fair Intel-
ligence Test) is directly related to serum testosterone level in right-handed young
men (Tan, 1990 el. In a subsequent work, I have reported that there is a direct
correlation between nonverbal intelligence and serum total testosterone level in right-
handed young men with consistent and moderate right-hand preference; IQ is directly
related to serum testosterone in strongly right-handed young women, but IQ first
increased and then decreased with testosterone in moderately right-handed young
women (Tan, 1990 f). Tan and Akgun (in press b) have confirmed these results in
right-handed young men from a different sample.
I have found that there is close correlation between serum testosterone level and
hand skill in right-handed young subjects. Only right-hand skill increased linearly
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with serum testosterone levels in right-handed young men; right-hand skill decreased
with serum testosterone in right-handed young women (Tan, 1990 c). Right-hand
performance (dot-filling test) was found to be increased and left-hand performance
decreased with testosterone level in right-handed male subjects; in right-handed young
women, the right- and left-hand performance linearly decreased with testosterone
(Tan, 1990 d). I have also shown that the right-hand skill and its motor learning are
better in right-handed young women with low testosterone levels than those with
high testosterone levels; motor learning linearly decreased with testosterone for the
right hand, not for the left hand (Tan, 1991 a). I have also studied the relationship
between visuomotor learning and serum testosterone level and concluded that tes-
tosterone may be advantageous for visuomotor performance as well as for the motor
learning of the right cerebral hemisphere in right-handed young adults (Tan, 1991
b).
Nonverbal intelligence was also found to be related to hand performance. I have
established that nonverbal intelligence linearly increased with the right-hand perfor-
mance (dot-filling test) in left-handers; but there was no relationship between IQ and
left-hand performance in these subjects (Tan, 1989). I have also found that the right-
and left-hand skill (peg moving task) largely increased with nonverbal intelligence
(Tan, 1990 a). In a subsequent work, I have found that the relationship between IQ
and hand performance (dot-filling test) in left-handers depends on familial sinistrality
and writing hand (Tan, 1990 b), but, in general, right-hand performance linearly
increased and left-hand performance linearly decreased with nonverbal intelligence.
The above mentioned works suggest that there is a close relationship among in-
telligence, testosterone, and hand speed. Galton (1892) tried to explain intelligence
by a single variable: reaction time. This proposition was re-emphasized by Eysenck
(1967, 1983, 1986). Eysenck suggested that reaction time is useful as an elementary
and relevant measure of intelligence (see Lehrl & Fischer, 1990). Eysenck (1983)
has posited that a simple parameter speed of information processing (mental speed)
determines or constitutes more complex mental achievements. Speed of information
processing may determine or constitute the efficiency of activities that are all related
to intelligence (see Lehrl & Fischer, 1990). In accord with this argument, Vernon
and Mori (1989) have found that there is a direct correlation between peripheral nerve
conduction velocity (in the median nerve of the forearm) and IQ.
My works on nonverbal intelligence (Cattell’s Culture Fair Intelligence Test) sup-
ported the notion of “speed of information processing” with regard to intelligence.
IQ, TESTOSTERONE, AND HAND SPEED 23
Culture Fair Intelligence Test. It will be shown in this work that IQ was directly
relhted to right-hand speed, which, in turn was directly related to serum testosterone
level in left-handed male subjects.
METHODS
Subjects
The experiments were performed in left-handed male students from the Medical Fac-
ulty of Black-Sea Technical University (Trabzon). These students ranged in age from
17 to 19 years. They participated in the study voluntarily and did not have psycho-
logical or neurological signs or symptoms.
Nonverbal Intelligence
Difference between nonverbal spatial reasoning ability was assessed by the Cattell’s
Culture Fair Intelligence Test (Cattell, 1971). Scale 2 was used as a group test. The
raw scores were converted into IQs using the table for converting raw scores directly
into intelligence quotients (IQs).
140
c
2
120
100
80
: .,+ /
: / /
- ? ,.
60 _ . . . . . . . .
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C..... ..........................................................
0 7.5 15
TESTOSTERONE [ng/ml)
FIGURE 1 Relationship between IQ and serum testosterone level in left-handed male subjects Abscissa:
serum testosterone level (ng/ml) Ordinate: IQ. y = 76.1 + 4.1 x.
tronic device. An electronic clock began to measure time as the subjects inserted the
first peg into the first hole. The clock stopped as the subject inserted the last peg
into the last hole in one row. In doing so, peg moving time (PMT) for the first trial
was measured accurately. The mean right and left PMTs for 10 trials were calculated
for each subject. The right- and left-hand speeds (5/mean PMT) were calculated for
each subject.
Measurement of Testosterone
Venous blood was taken from subjects. Total testosterone was measured using a
Coat-A-Count-Kit supplied by Diagnostic Products Corporation. Aliquots of serum
were placed in antibody-coated tubes. This antibody was highly specific for testos-
terone. Following the addition of I'25-labeledtestosterone, the tubes were incubated
and then counted in a gamma counter after decantation. Samples were read against
a logit-log representation of the calibration curve, which was prepared by addition
of known amounts of testosterone.
RESULTS
Direct Relationship between I Q and Testosterone
Figure 1 illustrates the relation of nonverbal IQ to serum testosterone level. There
was a positive linear correlation between IQ and serum testosterone level. This was
found to be statistically highly significant ( r = .85,t = 5.53, df = 13, p = .OOO;
R2 = .72, R2 adjusted for df = .69).
IQ, TESTOSTERONE, AND HAND SPEED 25
4---
- -
0.16 0.19 0 .zz K 0 5 10
HAND SPEED (mfsl TESTOSTERONE (ny/ml)
.
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03
I 0.15
0.18 0 -21 0.24 d 0 5 10
HAND SPEED (m/s) TESTOSTERONE (ny/mll
.047; see Figure 2D). Thus, the right-hand speed directly depended on serum tes-
tosterone level. High testosterone levels were found to be associated with high hand
speeds. The left-hand speed did not show a significant relation to serum testosterone
levels, however ( r = .06, t = .15, df = 7, p = .89; see Figure 2E).
The left minus right hand speed was found to be negatively linearly correlated
with serum testosterone levels. This was statistically significant ( r = -.76, t = 2.83,
df = 7, p = .030; see Figure 2F). The difference between the right and left hands
in speed decreased as the serum testosterone levels increased.
The left minus right-hand speed did not depend on the right-hand speed, since
there was no significant correlation between the right-hand speed and the L-R hand
speed (Y = -.14, t = .32, df = 6, p = .76). The left-hand speed determined the
left-minus right-hand speed. Namely, there was a highly significant positive linear
correlation between the left-hand speed and the L-R hand speed (r = .88, t = 4.09,
df = 6, p = .009).
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DISCUSSION
The results of the present work support the notion that “speed of information pro-
cessing” is the physiological basis of intelligence tests (see Lehrl & Fischer, 1990).
Namely, it was found, in the present work, that the right-hand speed linearly in-
creased with nonverbal intelligence in left-handed male subjects. Lehrl and Fischer
(1990) have argued that the correlation of speed of information processing with global
intelligence is substantial. Mackintosh (1986) has stated that a high IQ is largely
determined by the speed and efficiency of the nervous system. However, the present
work revealed that this notion should be modified according to cerebral lateralization
of subjects. Namely, there was a direct correlation between right-hand speed (left
brain) and IQ in left-handed male subjects, but there was no significant correlation
between left-hand speed and IQ in these subjects. Thus, the relation of IQ to the
speed of information processing in the nervous system seems to be true only for the
left brain of male left-handers.
It is conceivable that there was a significant positive linear correlation between
motor efficiency of the left brain and IQ, since only the left brain is specialized for
nonverbal spatial reasoning in left-handed male subjects; IQ was found to be related
only to right-hand speed, since testosterone specialized only the left brain for spatial
reasoning. So, testosterone seems to be beneficial for the left brain in left-handed
males. This may be a direct action of testosterone on the left brain, since there was
no correlation between IQ and left-hand speed, and no correlation between left-hand
speed and testosterone. As mentioned above, I have frequently shown that IQ is
directly related to serum testosterone level, even in right-handers. So, this work
supported the others.
The triad of IQ-hand speed-testosterone is clearly envisaged from figures of the
present work. As seen in Figure’s 1 and 2 , the relationships between IQ and tes-
tosterone, IQ and right-hand speed, and right-hand speed and testosterone have the
same trends. On the other hand, the relationships between IQ and left minus right
hand speed, and L-R hand speed and testosterone have also the same trends. These
results also suggest that IQ, testosterone, and right-hand speed constitute a triad with
interrelated effects. As shown in this work, left minus right hand speed is inversely
related to testosterone. That is, high testosterone levels are associated with relatively
symmetric motor control. This can only be achieved by a better developed left brain,
since right brain did not show any relation to serum testosterone levels. On the other
IQ, TESTOSTERONE. AND HAND SPEED 27
hand, the L-R hand speed was found to be determined by the left-hand speed. This
indicates that testosterone also affects the right brain; high testosterone levels seem
to be associated with better developed right brain. This, in turn, suggests that the
right brain may be more importantly affected by testosterone to create a motor asym-
metry in left-handed males; low testosterone levels would create a more efficient
right brain and high testosterone levels would create a less developed right brain
producing relatively symmetric motor organization.
The hippocampus, which was suggested to be involved in spatial processing (Best
& Thompson, 1989; Boufford & Jarrard, 1988; Nadel & McDonald, 1980; Olton,
1977; Sutherland et al., 1983; Whishaw, 1987) seems to be important in testosterone
effects on spatial reasoning. Furthermore, Roof and Havens (1992) have recently
reported that there is a strong correlation ( Y = .86, p < .OOl) between maze per-
formance and the width of the right DG-GCL (dentate gyrus granule cell layer) in
rats. Roof and Havens have suggested that testosterone may act by increasing the
size of this specific cell population of the hippocampus of rats. So, testosterone has
trophic effects on a specific region in the right brain of rats. The results of the present
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work suggested that testosterone may have beneficial effects on the left as; well as
right brain in left-handed male subjects.
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