THE RIGHT-HEMISPHERE RECOGNIZES THE BAD GUYS

This study examines emotional reactions and memory in patients with un ilateral temporal and/or frontal lobe epilepsy using a sodium amytal t esting procedure. Patients were presented with pictures of ordinary fa ces and accompanying biographical descriptions while either the right or the left cerebral hemisphere was deactivated. The biographies depic ted the individual in the picture either as a pleasant, an unpleasant, or an everyday person. After the drug effect had worn off, the patien ts were tested for their memory for the faces, their memory for the wo rds used in the biographical descriptions, and for their ratings of th e pleasantness or unpleasantness of the individuals in the pictures. R esults showed a superior recognition of faces that were associated wit h unpleasant biographies following left hemisphere injection (i.e. tes ting the right hemisphere). Although the content of the biographical i nformation could not be recognised, the ratings of the faces associate d with the unpleasant biographies were less favourable than for the fa ces associated with either the pleasant or neutral biographies. These findings suggest (a) that emotional components of an event can be reme mbered whereas the specific event information itself remains inaccessi ble, and (b) the different roles of the left and right hemisphere in m ediating emotional behaviour.