title: Severe behavioral complications following intracarotid sodium amobarbital injection: implications for hemispheric asymmetry of emotion.
abstract: The intracarotid sodium amobarbital (ISA) procedure is effective in determining cerebral language dominance. However, severe emotional and behavioral reactions during ISA evaluation may invalidate the results or necessitate aborting the procedure. In an effort to identify patients at risk for behavioral complications, we reviewed 92 patients undergoing ISA evaluation and found five with severe changes in affect and behavior following amobarbital injection, ranging from prolonged coma to an extended confusional state. Severe behavioral disturbances were more likely to occur in patients with left frontal structural lesions upon injecting amobarbital into the right hemisphere. Analysis of patients with structural lesions of the anterior regions of the right hemisphere showed no evidence of similar behavioral complications. These findings suggest a special role for the left frontal region in the inhibition of affective expression and provide further evidence of the importance of right hemisphere mechanisms in emotion.
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-4010.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Loring
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Meador
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Flanigin
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000654:Amobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000654:Amobarbital