Summary
In young adult musicians and nonmusicans of both sexes we investigated the relationship of musical talent to immune parameters and indicators of anomalous dominance. In addition to the behavioral markers asthma/allergies, migraine, and myopia, we measured Immunoglobulin (IgE) and total Ig in blood serum as indicators of immune vulnerability. To test predictions from the Geschwind model of cerebral lateralization (Geschwind and Galaburda 1985), we used a formal path model suggested by McManus and Bryden (1991). In males, the model was in part supported by the data. Musical talent was significantly correlated with atypical language dominance and atypical handedness, and atypical handedness was significantly correlated with immune diseases. Correlations between musical talent and immune parameters were in the expected direction, though they did not reach significance in males and females. Missing significant correlations between conditions in females seem to suggest the Geschwind model may be more appropriate for males than for females.
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Hassler, M. (1995). Immune Parameters, Musical Abilities, and Anomalous Dominance. In: Steinberg, R. (eds) Music and the Mind Machine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79327-1_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79327-1_14
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