The Split-Brain Syndrome

A recurrent theme in psychiatry is the belated and often confused appreciation of advances in other relevant disciplines. An example of this is the “split-brain syndrome”, which provoked a Zeitgeist in the kindred field of neuropsychology and which has shaped notions of mental functioning impinging on the domain of psychiatry as well as philosophy, aesthetics, and education (Benson & Zaidel, 1985). The ‘left brain – right brain story’, while giving rise to much creative scientific enquiry, has also spawned some rather dubious psychophantasy. The purpose of this article is therefore to summarise this vast and growing body of work, to highlight areas of particular relevance, and to steer the reader away from the more wayward regions of speculation.