The length of the fingers would indicate the risk of suffering schizophrenia
The results of the investigations surprise us many times and may seem very questionable at times. However rare the conclusions of a study published in the journal may be Clinical Anatomy, the length of the index finger and ring finger , as well as the asymmetry of both hands, could predict schizophrenia in males.
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that causes a serious distortion in thinking and perception of reality . People who suffer from this serious pathology experience hallucinations (visual or auditory), delusions, loss of contact with reality or a disorder of self-perception, among other symptoms. Generally, schizophrenics also suffer loss of motivation, lack of energy, emotional disturbances or social withdrawal.
In Spain, this disorder affects half a million individuals, and its onset usually occurs during the adolescence (although also in childhood) or at the beginning of adulthood. It seems that in men it starts at a younger age than in women.
Although we do not know for sure what causes schizophrenia, there seems to be some consensus when we say that it has to do with a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
As a study of the Center for Biomedical Research in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), patients with schizophrenia have a life expectancy of between 10 and 20 years less than people without this affectation.
The study and conclusions
The study, published by Clinical Anatomy, was carried out by researchers in Turkey who measured the length of 103 men with schizophrenia, then compared the data with the finger lengths of 100 healthy men.
For the study the ratio of the fingers was calculated (the length of the index finger divided by the length of the ring finger) and the researchers found that men with schizophrenia had a index finger longer and a shorter ring finger . This only happened in the right hand, because in the left hand no significant differences were found. This asymmetry between the hands of people with schizophrenia is known as the "asymmetry index".
According to the director of the research, Dr. Taner Oznur, "the asymmetry index has a potential utility as a diagnostic test to determine the presence of schizophrenia."
As the researchers conclude, the key may be in testosterone.
Many past investigations have shown that exposure to abnormal levels of testosterone in the uterus (during the fetal stage) can have a negative impact on brain development, increasing the risk of schizophrenia and other mental disorders. In addition, the same exposure of testosterone in the uterus can also affect the size and length of the fingers.
But does this indicate that the length of the fingers predicts schizophrenia? Not exactly, because Although there is a correlation between finger length and schizophrenia, this does not mean that it is due to a causal relationship , it may be due to other variables or simply random. What does seem clear, is that this research will cause future research in this line to rule out or confirm these results.
On the other hand, this study has only been carried out with men, the results with women could be different.
Other results in the same line of research
This is not the first time that researchers associate the "ratio of the fingers" to behavior. Previous studies have affirmed that there is a relationship between the ratio of fingers and sexual orientation, infidelity, academic performance, physical aggression, or heart disease.
Bibliographic references
- Abdullah Bolu, Taner Oznur, Sedat Develi, Murat Gulsun, Emre Aydemir, Mustafa Alper, Mehmet Toygar. The ratios of 2nd to 4th digit may be a predictor of schizophrenia in male patients. Clinical Anatomy, 2015; DOI: 10.1002 / ca.22527
