The dynamic functional capacity theory: A neuropsychological model of intense emotions

Laterality in Parkinson's disease: A neuropsychological review

Laterality of motor symptom onset in Parkinson's disease is both well-known and under-appreciated. Treatment of disorders that have asymmetric pathological features, such as stroke and epilepsy, demonstrate the importance of incorporating hemispheric lateralization and specialization into therapy and care planning. These practices could theoretically extend to Parkinson's disease, providing increased diagnostic accuracy and improved treatment outcomes. Additionally, while motor symptoms have generally received the majority of attention, non-motor features (e.g., autonomic dysfunction) also decrease quality of life and are influenced by asymmetrical neurodegeneration. Due to the laterality of cognitive and behavioral processes in the two brain hemispheres, analysis of hemibody side of onset can potentially give insight into expected symptom profile of the patient and allow for increased predictive accuracy of disease progression and outcome, thus opening the door to personalized and improved therapy in treating Parkinson's disease patients. This review discusses motor and non-motor symptoms (namely autonomic, sensory, emotional, and cognitive dysfunction) of Parkinson's disease in respect to hemispheric lateralization from a theoretical perspective in hopes of providing a framework for future research and personalized treatment.

Hostility and cognitive control: Evidence of increased cardiovascular reactivity as a function of exposure to affective stress using a dichotic listening paradigm

Indices of cognitive control were examined in men with high and low levels of trait hostility as a function of exposure to affective and cognitive stress. A dual concurrent task paradigm was used whereby participants intentionally directed focus to the left or right ear under dichotic listening conditions before and after exposure to angry infant vocalizations. Analysis of the behavioral data supports the prediction of reduced right frontal regulatory control in men with high levels of hostility as indicated by diminished capacity to suppress report of phonemes presented to the language dominant left hemisphere (right ear) in the Focus Left condition. This diminishment in the capacity to suppress report of phonemes presented to the right ear in the Focus Left condition is suggestive of reduced cognitive control. With respect to the neurophysiological data, heart rate increased for only men with high levels of hostility in the Focus Left condition, and this was especially evident in the post-affective stress condition. This increase in right hemisphere arousal provides additional evidence of reduced cognitive control and support for the capacity model of hostility by implicating poor right frontal regulatory control over right posterior cerebral regions under dual task conditions. The results are discussed in terms of integrating the construct of cognitive control into the capacity model as well as providing implications regarding reductions in the capacity to suppress predominant aggressive responses in domestic settings.

The effect of anger expression style on cardiovascular responses to lateralized cognitive stressors

To determine the effects of self-reported anger expression style on cerebrally lateralized physiological responses to neuropsychological stressors, changes in systolic blood pressure and heart rate were examined in response to a verbal fluency task and a figural fluency task among individuals reporting either "anger in" or "anger out" expression styles. Significant group by trial interaction effects was found for systolic blood pressure following administration of verbal fluency [F(1,54) = 5.86, p < 0.05] and nonverbal fluency stressors [F(1,54) = 13.68, p < .001]. Similar interactions were seen for systolic heart rate following administration of verbal fluency [F(1,54) = 5.86, p < .005] and nonverbal fluency stressors [F(1,54) = 13.68, p < .001]. The corresponding results are discussed in terms of functional cerebral systems and potential implications for physiological models of anger. Given the association between anger and negative physical health outcomes, there is a clear need to better understand the physiological components of anger. The results of this experiment indicate that a repressive "anger in" expression style is associated with deregulation of the right frontal region. This same region has been shown to be intimately involved in cardiovascular recovery, glucose metabolism, and blood pressure regulation.