Hemispheric asymmetry in event related potentials associated with positive and negative emotions

Abstract

Event-related potentials from symmetrical points of the left and right frontal and occipital cortex were recorded while subjects experienced positive and negative emotions. The emotions were elicited by either missing or hitting a target with a photoelectric gun. Twenty three right-handers (10 males and 13 females) were tested. Each subject took part in two sessions. In the first session the subjects were informed about their performance (hit or miss) after each shot. In the second, control session, no feedback was given. The amplitudes of P1 80 potential registered from the occipital cortex were higher in the right than in the left cerebral hemisphere, irrespectively of subjects’ performance (i.e. a miss or a hit). No such tendency was observed in potentials registered from the frontal cortex. These regularities emerged only in the feedback situation, i.e. when subjects were informed about their performance, although higher ERPs were registered for hits than for misses. The results support the hypothesis that the posterior region of the right hemisphere is more engaged than the left one in experiencing emotions, irrespectively of their sign.