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Electrodermal Activity in Depression: Clinical and Biochemical Correlates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

A. M. Mirkin  and
A. Coppen
A. M. Mirkin
Affiliation:
MRC Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, West Park Hospital, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8PB
A. Coppen
Affiliation:
MRC Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, West Park Hospital, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8PB
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Summary

Electrodermal activity was measured in a group of depressive patients and normal controls. Those patients classified as endogenous on the Newcastle Scale had significantly lower skin conductance levels than either the non-endogenous patients or controls. The endogenous depressives also contained significantly more non-responders to the experimental stimuli. The lack of responsivity to external stimulation in non-responders is associated with a significantly lower rate of blood platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake, suggesting that endogenous depressives have biological characteristics that distinguish them from other depressive groups and that electrodermal measures may be useful in the classification of depressive illness.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 137 , Issue 1 , June 1980 , pp. 93 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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