Effects of left amygdala lesions on respiration, skin conductance, heart rate, anxiety, and activity of the right amygdala during anticipation of negative stimulus

The present study reports the effects of lesions in the left amygdala on anxiety, respiration, skin conductance, heart rate, and electrical potentials in the right amygdala in two patients. Trait and anticipatory-state anxiety were measured before and after left amygdala resection to control medically intractable epilepsy in the patients. Lesions in the left amygdala resulted in decreases of trait and state anxiety, respiratory rate, and activity in the right amygdala in both patients; one patient also showed notable decreases in skin conductance and heart rate. The study also reports that activities in the right amygdala before the lesion were not observed after the lesion. We suggest that the activity of the right amygdala is dominantly activated in anxiety and anxiety-related physiological responses but needs excitatory inputs from the left amygdala.