Differing emotional response from right and left hemispheres

SpringerPlus, 2015

Arousal theory as discussed within the present paper refers to those mechanisms and neural systems involved in central nervous system activation and more specifically the systems involved in cortical activation. Historical progress in the evolution of arousal theory has led to a better understanding of the functional neural systems involved in arousal or activation processes and ultimately contributed much to our current theories of emotion. Despite evidence for the dynamic interplay between the left and right cerebral hemispheres, the concepts of cerebral balance and dynamic activation have been emphasized in the neuropsychological literature. A conceptual model is proposed herein that incorporates the unique contributions from multiple neuropsychological theories of arousal and emotion. It is argued that the cerebral hemispheres may play oppositional roles in emotion partially due to the differences in their functional specializations and in their persistence upon activation. In t...

Dth, 1992

International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1989

Patients diagnosed (DSM III) with anxiety disorders (agoraphobia, panic syndrome, generalised anxiety syndrome) were classified along with controls as electrodermally stabile or labile on the basis of non-specific electrodermal activity and rate of habituation to tones. While patients showed more evidence of psychopathology than controls on scales of anxiety, neuroticism, depression and agoraphobic fear, patient labiles scored higher than stabiles on agoraphobic fear and were differentiated by higher scores of Beck depression. They were also more sensitive to pain, whereas patient stabiles were less sensitive at absolute somatosensory threshold. Amongst controls agoraphobic fear was associated with lability and stabiles scored higher on autonomy in locus of control. Lateral asymmetries in auditory thresholds were consistent with reciprocal hemispheric influences on electrodermal reactivity and habituation, modifiable by anxiety. Interrelationships between fear, depression, sensitivity to somatosensory stimulation, pain, and superior vigilance performance in patient labiles were consistent with elevated right hemisphere function.

Brain and Cognition, 1987

This experiment was designed to assess the differential impact of initially presenting affective information to the left versus right hemisphere on both the perception of and response to the input. Nineteen right-handed subjects were presented with faces expressing happiness and sadness. Each face was presented twice to each visual field for an 8-set duration. The electro-oculogram (EOG) was monitored and fed back to subjects to train them to keep their eyes focused on the central fixation point as well as to eliminate trials confounded by eye All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.

PLOS ONE, 2016

Nasal airflow is greater in one nostril than in the other because of transient asymmetric nasal passage obstruction by erectile tissue. The extent of obstruction alternates across nostrils with periodicity referred to as the nasal cycle. The nasal cycle is related to autonomic arousal and is indicative of asymmetry in brain function. Moreover, alterations in nasal cycle periodicity have been linked to various diseases. There is therefore need for a tool allowing continuous accurate measurement and recording of airflow in each nostril separately. Here we provide detailed instructions for constructing such a tool at minimal cost and effort. We demonstrate application of the tool in 33 right-handed healthy subjects, and derive several statistical measures for nasal cycle characterization. Using these measures applied to 24-hour recordings we observed that: 1: subjects spent slightly longer in left over right nostril dominance (left = 2.63 ± 0.89 hours, right = 2.17 ± 0.89 hours, t(32) = 2.07, p < 0.05), 2: cycle duration was shorter in wake than in sleep (wake = 2.02 ± 1.7 hours, sleep = 4.5 ± 1.7 hours, (t(30) = 5.73, p < 0.0001). 3: slower breathing was associated with a more powerful cycle (the extent of difference across nostrils) (r = 0.4, p < 0.0001), and 4: the cycle was influenced by body posture such that lying on one side was associated with greater flow in the contralateral nostril (p < 0.002). Finally, we provide evidence for an airflow cycle in each nostril alone. These results provide characterization of an easily obtained measure that may have diagnostic implications for neurological disease and cognitive state.

Brain and Cognition, 1983

Patterns of facial asymmetry (i.e., extent of movement) as a function of elicitation condition, emotional valence, and sex of subjects are examined. Thirty-seven right-handed adult males and females were videotaped making positive and negative expressions of emotion under posed (verbal, visual) and spontaneous conditions. There were no differences in facial asymmetry as a function of condition. Overall, expressions were significantly left-sided, a finding implicating the right hemisphere. When sex and valence were considered, negative expressions were left-sided for all subjects, while positive expressions were left-sided for males only. Further, positive expressions were significantly less lateralized than negative ones for females. Measures of hemiface mobility and ocular dominance did not mediate these patterns of facial lateralization. Much attention has focused recently upon the neuropsychological mechanisms involved in the facial expression of emotion (for review, see Borod & Koff, in press). The greater intensity of expression (Campbell, 1978; Sackeim & Gur, 1978) and the more extensive muscular involvement (Borod & Caron, 1980) on the left side of the face have suggested a

Neuropsychologia, 1979

Psychophysiology, 1979

Psychology and Marketing, 1984

This paper focuses on methodological concerns of interest to advertising researchers who seek to employ electroencephalographic (EEG) methods for assessing the impact of advertising stimuli. It is suggested that the validity of EEG applications in advertising research needs to be demonstrated on the basis of examining relationships between EEG measures and more traditional measures of evaluating advertising effectiveness. More attention needs to be focused on determining the content-specific cues that engage the viewer's attentional processes. Further research is necessary to determine hemispheric differences in processing emotional cues in advertising stimuli and relationships between subjective reactions to advertising stimuli and lateralized differences in activation patterns. It is suggested that individual differences in hemispheric preferences may be related to response to advertising stimuli and that computersimulated brain topographical techniques may by useful in revealing shifts in region-specific activation patterns during exposure to advertising stimuli such as television commercials.

Neuropsychologia, 1980

Sixteen right-handed men heard 12 brief cue questions pertaining to each of four tasks. Each cue question was followed by the announcement of a single trait adjective, which was either positive, neutral or negative. Judgments of self reference and volume discrimination evoked greater relative left hemispheric EEG activation than judgments of evaluation and rhyme. Differential hemispheric EEG activation was not affected, however, by the depth-of-processing. Once the assigned task was completed, affect-laden (positive or negative) adjectives elicited less relative left hemispheric EEG activity than neutral words.

Brain Sciences

There are two well-known hypotheses regarding hemispheric lateralization of emotions. The Right Hemisphere Hypothesis (RHH) postulates that emotions and associated display behaviors are a dominant and lateralized function of the right hemisphere. The Valence Hypothesis (VH) posits that negative emotions and related display behaviors are modulated by the right hemisphere and positive emotions and related display behaviors are modulated by the left hemisphere. Although both the RHH and VH are supported by extensive research data, they are mutually exclusive, suggesting that there may be a missing factor in play that may provide a more accurate description of how emotions are lateralization in the brain. Evidence will be presented that provides a much broader perspective of emotions by embracing the concept that emotions can be classified into primary and social types and that hemispheric lateralization is better explained by the Emotion-type Hypothesis (ETH). The ETH posits that prima...