Electrodermal activity in relation to diabetes, autonomic neuropathy and aging: a preliminary study

Luis Daniel Bolanos,Oscar Andres Vivas,Jose Maria Vicente,Jose Maria Sabater-Navarro

doi:10.15446/ing.investig.v39n3.74982

Luis Daniel Bolanos, Oscar Andres Vivas + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.15446/ing.investig.v39n3.74982

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Abstract

A reduced electrodermal activity (EDA) may be related to autonomic neuropathy (AN). The aims of this study were to independently study the characteristics of the EDA and its correlation with diabetes and AN. During a selfdesigned test, mean skin conductance level (MSCL), mean skin conductance response (MSCR) to stimuli, and difference in MSCL between feet (DBF) were obtained through a modelbased decomposition based on Bayesian statistics and mathematical convex optimization. A group of 22 subjects were included for the final test. Diabetic patients were stratified based on their clinical history and care habits, dividing them into those out of risk and those at risk of developing AN. Statistical difference was found for the latter regarding MSCR (p < 0,01) and DBF (p < 0,05) with respect to the control group. While past research failed to address potential sources of interference with the EDA measurement, namely emotional state, degree of concentration on the task, and body posture, this study proposes a welldefined protocol to stimulate subjects and acquire proper and reliable EDA data.

Highlights

Autonomic neuropathy (AN) generally describes the affection of the small C nerve fibers, which impairs the autonomic nervous system
22 subjects participated in the final study: 5 of them were part of the control group, 6 were classified as out of risk diabetics and 11 as at risk. 3 subjects were excluded from the final analysis due to erroneous data caused by a device failure at the moment of the test
It was used to study the behavior of electrodermal activity (EDA) and an experimental protocol accounting for a variety of stimuli was designed

Summary

Introduction

Autonomic neuropathy (AN) generally describes the affection of the small C nerve fibers, which impairs the autonomic nervous system. Its symptoms include either extreme hot or cold sensation across the legs, acute pain, and low sweating capacity or even the absence of it. This set of symptoms usually leads to the so called “diabetic foot”. 50% of diabetics will suffer from some type of neuropathy, responsible for 20% of ER visits. It has been demonstrated that the risk of amputation triples when preceded by an ulceration in diabetics. Foot ulcerations cause 80% of the non-traumatic amputations

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