Although Unibase cream has been an effective medium for
electrodermal recordings, its production has recently been
discontinued. This study compared alternative media to Unibase
for effectiveness. Three base creams similar to Unibase were
initially compared for in vitro viscosity and effectiveness.
Based upon this analysis one cream was eliminated. A volunteer
sample of 6 postmenopausal women with hot flashes and 6 young
women without flashes was recruited. Media were evaluated for
viscosity and effectiveness of skin conductance. Results indicated
that one electrolyte media produced readings within the normal
range, identified true positive hot flashes, and produced few
false negative readings whereas the second produced largely
unreadable results with many false negative hot flashes. An
appropriate substitute for Unibase as an effective electrolyte
medium for measurement of electrodermal activity was identified.