Hemisfærisk asymmetri og affektive lidelser

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The literature on hemispheric asymmetry and affective disorders is reviewed in this article. The main sources of information are studies on brain damaged subjects, functional asymmetry of intact brains in subjects suffering from affective disorders and studies using analog samples of affective disorders. The results showed more depression in subjects with left sided lesions, and more mania in subjects with right sided lesions. Studies on intact brains showed less consistency. Some studies report a dysfunction of the right hemisphere, others dysfunction of the left hemisphere. In order to explain the nature of the relationship between hemispheric asymmetry and affective disorders, three different types of models are presented. The models are lateralized-deficit models, a cognitive style model and a biochemical model. Based on these models, the results from both lesioned and intact brains could be explained as a right hemispheric involvement in depression, and a left hemispheric involvement in mania.