Heart rate does not decrease after right hemispheric amobarbital injection

Ten years ago it was reported that the heart rate of 25 patients with different focal epilepsies changed following unilateral hemispheric inactivation by intracarotid amobarbital injection (Wada Test).1 Using mean amobarbital dosages of 126 and 128 mg, the authors showed heart rate increases after left hemisphere inactivation and decreases following right hemisphere inactivation. It was concluded that the results are consistent with differential left/right cerebral hemispheric effects on autonomic function. Within 9 years after publication, this study was cited by 59 publications as reported by the Science Citation Index. However, only one of these studies was aimed at reproducing the results.2 In this study, 32 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and with left hemisphere speech dominance were investigated using 200 mg amobarbital. The patients demonstrated an increase of heart rate immediately after each injection but …