The right hemisphere may have more control over the SNS, and the left may have more control over the PNS
There is some evidence that, whereas control of the sympathetic nervous system is more influenced by the right hemisphere, control of the parasympathetic nervous system is more under left hemisphere control. Of the two, the sympathetic nervous system is more important for modulating heart rate and blood pressure in response to emotion. It is also more involved with response to the new, the uncertain, and the emotionally demanding, the special domains of the vigilant right hemisphere, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system produces relaxation of autonomic function, appropriate to the familiar, the known and the emotionally more neutral, the special domains of the left hemisphere. But release of the left hemisphere can certainly increase activity inappropriately, and will be associated with sympathetic activity. Perhaps the safest conclusion is that this area remains unclear.
References
- Mcgilchrist, Iain. (2010). The Master and His Emissary Chapter 2 What Do the Hemispheres Do (p. 142). London, UK: Yale University Press.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Neuropsychology Status:☀️