Jessica Wynn

So these microtubules shape how neurons grow and connect and keep our cells structured, organized, and help them divide and move.

In a roundabout way, yeah, sort of.

These microtubules are crucial and associated with a lot of biological functions.

The researchers have found that some mutations of the TUB4B gene mess with microtubules and lead to hearing loss.

vision problems, even infertility.

So microtubules influence the cilia, those little hair-like organelles that move fluid around developing tissue.

And when the flow of that fluid is uneven, it creates the left-right split in the brain.

It's definitely a part of it.

Yeah.

So the job of these microscopic little guys is to determine how the brain organizes itself.

They're like our cells own Martha Stewart.

Yeah, yeah, they're in an altered state for sure.

These rare TUB4B variants don't explain everything, though.

Previous studies have found several genes that seem to be tied to left-handedness.

A breakthrough study published in Nature Communications Journal looked at over 350,000 people.

38,000 of them were lefties and over 300,000 righties.

They found that this rare variant showed up about 30%.

three times more often in left-handers.

Right.

And at this point, it's correlation.