Lateralized mediation of arousal and habituation: differential bilateral electrodermal activity in unilateral temporal lobectomy patients.

The purpose of the present study was to increase our understanding of the differential hemispheric processing of arousal and habituation. Subjects were unilateral temporal lobectomy patients and controls. Each was exposed to an arousal/habituation task consisting of a series of tones and an auditory discrimination paradigm. Electrodermal activity was recorded from the left and right hands throughout. Results provide evidence for a state of hypoarousal in right temporal patients and some support for hyperarousability in lefts. This is consistent with data showing that right hemisphere damage is associated with inattention and denial and left hemisphere damage with hypervigilance and anxiety. The concept of laterally differentiated mediation of arousal and habituation was supported.