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Electrodermal activity in the affective disorders and schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

B. K. Toone ,
E. Cooke  and
M. H. Lader
B. K. Toone*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
E. Cooke
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
M. H. Lader
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr B. K. Toone, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

Electrodermal activity was measured bilaterally at rest and during stimulation in 22 schizophrenic, 11 depressed and 12 anxiety state patients, and in 32 normal volunteers. No group showed a distinctive pattern of lateral asymmetry. The frequency of spontaneous fluctuations in electrodermal activity was greater in the anxiety state and schizophrenic groups and in those patients who reported auditory hallucinations during recording. Few schizophrenic subjects failed to respond to visual stimulation but a substantial minority failed to habituate. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , August 1981 , pp. 497 - 508
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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