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Affective self-report during the intracarotid sodium amobarbital test: Group differences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2000

GEOFFREY L. AHERN
Affiliation:
Behavioral Neuroscience and Alzheimer's Clinic, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Neurology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona
ANNE M. HERRING
Affiliation:
Behavioral Neuroscience and Alzheimer's Clinic, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Neurology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona
DAVID M. LABINER
Affiliation:
Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Neurology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona
MARTIN E. WEINAND
Affiliation:
Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Surgery/Section of Neurosurgery, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona
RONALD HUTZLER
Affiliation:
Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona
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Abstract

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Emotional reactions are sometimes observed during the intracarotid sodium amobarbital test. For instance, euphoric/indifference reactions can be seen during right hemisphere inactivation and catastrophic reactions may accompany left hemisphere inactivation. Less dramatic changes can also be detected in affective self-report during left and right hemisphere amobarbital tests, with more negative affect reported during left hemisphere inactivation and either neutral or mildly positive affective states reported during right hemisphere inactivation. The current study not only replicated this effect, but in addition, found significant group differences. The first group (right way) showed a pattern of affective self-report during left and right amobarbital tests entirely consistent with prior findings, while a second group (wrong way) showed results that behaved in a diametrically opposite fashion. A third group (no change) showed little, if any, difference in affective self-report during left and right amobarbital tests. The major factor distinguishing the wrong way group from the other two appeared to be an asymmetrical distribution of left and right temporal lobe lesions in the former group. In contrast, the factor differentiating the right way group from the no change group appeared to be the relative degree of left hemisphere inactivation during the left hemisphere amobarbital test. The results are discussed not only in terms of their impact on theories of cerebral lateralization for emotion, but also in terms of methodological issues in this field. (JINS, 2000, 6, 659–667.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 The International Neuropsychological Society