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Emotional status after right vs. left temporal lobectomy.
1Fordham University Psychology Department, Cornell University Medical College, Cornell, USA.
Seizure
|May 1, 1999
Summary
Left temporal lobectomy in epilepsy patients is linked to increased depression and decreased socialization. Right temporal lobectomy patients, however, reported enhanced general happiness post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Psychiatry
- Epilepsy Research
Background:
- Temporal lobectomy is a surgical treatment for epilepsy.
- Understanding the neuropsychological effects of temporal lobectomy is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emotional and social outcomes following left versus right temporal lobectomy.
- To determine if laterality of temporal lobe surgery influences mood and social behavior.
Main Methods:
- Nineteen epilepsy patients (11 right, 8 left temporal lobectomy) completed a questionnaire.
- The questionnaire assessed general happiness, depression, anxiety, impulse control, and socialization.
Main Results:
- Left temporal lobectomy patients reported increased depression and decreased socialization.
- Right temporal lobectomy patients reported increased general happiness.
- No change in general happiness was observed in left temporal lobectomy patients.
Conclusions:
- Left temporal lobectomy is associated with increased negative affect compared to right temporal lobectomy.
- Findings support a model where the right hemisphere dominates awareness of negative emotional valence.