Liotti M, Sava D, Rizzolatti G, Caffarra P
Istituto di Fisiologia, Umana dell'Universita' di Parma, Italy.
Biol Psychiatry. 1991 May 1;29(9):887-99. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(91)90055-q.
Several lines of evidence suggest impaired right hemisphere function in depression. In order to further investigate this phenomenon, simple reaction times (RTs) to lateralized visual stimuli were studied in patients with mild unipolar depression, in patients with chronic anxiety, and in medical patients free of psychiatric symptoms. The results showed a marked slowing of RTs to left visual field (right hemisphere) stimuli in depressed patients. Anxious patients showed a trend toward an opposite asymmetry, with slower responses to right field (left hemisphere) stimuli. In the nonpsychiatric group no visual field differences were present. The results are discussed in light of two alternative interpretations: depression may engage the right hemisphere's mechanisms, interfering with its functioning at a premotor level, or it may influence the regulation of performance by arousal and vigilance mechanisms lateralized to the right hemisphere, possibly operating at an earlier sensory stage.
多项证据表明抑郁症患者存在右半球功能受损。为了进一步研究这一现象，我们对轻度单相抑郁症患者、慢性焦虑症患者以及无精神症状的内科患者进行了针对偏侧视觉刺激的简单反应时间（RTs）研究。结果显示，抑郁症患者对左侧视野（右半球）刺激的反应时间显著延长。焦虑症患者呈现出相反的不对称趋势，即对右侧视野（左半球）刺激的反应较慢。在非精神科组中，未发现视野差异。我们根据两种不同的解释对结果进行了讨论：抑郁症可能会激活右半球的机制，在运动前水平干扰其功能，或者它可能会影响由右半球偏侧化的唤醒和警觉机制对行为表现的调节，这种调节可能在更早的感觉阶段就已发生。
