The measurement of emotional concepts in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Abstract

Eleven temporal lobe epileptics, implanted with depth electrodes, 21 post-lobectomy epileptics, and 24 orthopedic controls were given a semantic differential test, which measured responses along 4 scales (evaluative, potency, activity, and danger) of 18 emotional and 1 non-emotional concepts. Results showed that post-lobectomy females thought of themselves as more dangerous than did orthopedic control females. Both post-lobectomy and implantation patients found the anger-hostility and fear-anxiety concepts less bad, potent, active, and dangerous than did the orthopedic controls. The post-lobectomy and implantation patients found the concept "sexual intercourse" and other non-sexual love-related concepts to be worse and more dangerous, but less potent and active than did the orthopedic controls.