[Interhemispheric functional relations during formation of temporary connections in humans]

In the course of formation of temporary connection between a nonverbal visual stimulus and an emotional word, interhemispheric functional relations are significantly changed. The conditioned stimulus elicits local activation mainly in the visual cortex of the left hemisphere, which results in reversion of interhemispheric relations during latency of cortical evoked response. In the "associative" area, the elaboration of the temporary connection does not affect latency and amplitude of the evoked response to the conditioned stimulus. Extinction of the temporary connection and, hence, recovery of the interhemispheric functional relations observed before its elaboration, proceeds slowly, and sets in after 100-150 presentations of the signal without reinforcement.