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Dissociation, Hemispheric Asymmetry, and Dysfunction of Hemispheric Interaction: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Approach

Received June 18, 2002; revised December 15, 2002; accepted January 13, 2003. From the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald/Stralsund, Germany; Neurological Rehabilitation Center, Greifswald, Germany. Address correspondence to Dr. Spitzer, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Rostocker Chaussee 70; D-18437 Stralsund, Germany, spitzer{at}mail.uni-greifswald.de (E-mail).

The authors investigated the hypothesis that dissociation may represent a functional dysconnectivity syndrome using a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approach. Transcranial magnetic stimulation investigations that included motor thresholds and the transcallosal conduction time (TCT) reflecting the interhemispheric transfer were performed in 74 right-handed students. All subjects completed the Dissociative Experience Scale. The high dissociators had a significantly lower left hemispheric excitability than right hemispheric excitability. They also had a significantly shorter TCT from the left to the right hemisphere than did the low dissociators. These results suggest that the neural basis of dissociation may involve a cortical asymmetry with a left hemispheric superiority or, alternatively, a lack of right hemispheric integration.

Key Words: Dissociation • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) • Cortical Asymmetry • Hemispheric Transfer and Balance

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