Changes In Skin Conductance Level Research Articles

Social exclusion evokes different psychophysiological responses in individuals high on the psychopathy facets fearless dominance and self-centered impulsivity.

Individuals with psychopathic personality traits are generally thought to have difficulties in processing and experiencing emotions. These difficulties could also translate to emotionally charged social situations such as social exclusion. Being socially excluded is often experienced as stressful and unpleasant, potentially even leading to selfish or aggressive behavior-both of which are linked to certain aspects of psychopathy. The current study investigated self-report and physiological responses to social exclusion in the cyberball paradigm in a carefully selected community sample of individuals either scoring high on primary (N = 24) or secondary psychopathy traits (N = 17). Across the sample, the cyberball paradigm decreased experiences of joy and approach motivation, increased subjective anger reports, and induced changes in heart rate. In contrast, individuals scoring high on secondary psychopathy traits (Self-Centered Impulsivity group) displayed stronger physiological reactivity during a habituation phase of prolonged social exclusion than individuals scoring high on primary psychopathy traits (Fearless Dominance group), indexed by changes in skin conductance level. Moreover, a potential mismatch between self-reported and physiological arousal seemed to be only observable in individuals with high secondary psychopathy traits. Overall, the current results suggest diverging patterns of emotional processing and regulation in a social exclusion situation when comparing well-functioning individuals with varying psychopathy traits. It seemed as if individuals high on primary psychopathy traits were insensitive to contextual social cues, while individuals high on secondary psychopathy traits were more affected by the potentially threatening social situation. Cautiously transferring the current findings to forensic samples, they support the idea of moving from a behavioral understanding of the psychopathy construct to a more clinical picture with distinct cognitive and emotional processing patterns in individuals high on either primary or secondary psychopathy traits.

The restorative effects of outdoor soundscapes in nursing homes for elderly individuals

This study explores the physiological and psychological recovery effects of outdoor soundscapes on the elderly in urban nursing homes. In this study, virtual reality technology was used to reproduce the outdoor audio-visual environment of a nursing home for 29 older adults in a laboratory environment. The experiment used a within-group design to measure the participants' physical and psychological responses. The physiological indicators included skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate (RF), and blink frequency (BF), and the psychological indicators included emotional level and attention. This study confirmed that the outdoor soundscape in nursing homes has inductive and restorative physiological and psychological effects on elderly people by comparing the data from the audio-visual experiment and the pure video experiment. Additionally, it was found that an environment that is too quiet has the potential to impair the mental state of elderly people. We also found that in addition to SCL and HR, many physiological indicators showed noticeable changes after 1 min. Time trends in changes in SCL and positive mood indicators were statistically significant. The data and findings of this study can be widely used in future in-depth research on aged care settings.

Investigating the effectiveness of bio-feedback techniques in improving English vocabulary learning in ESL learners.

This study investigated the effectiveness of bio-feedback techniques in improving English vocabulary learning in ESL learners. Bio-feedback is a technique that provides real-time information about an individual's physiological responses to external stimuli. In this study, bio-feedback was used to measure changes in skin conductance level (SCL) in response to English vocabulary learning tasks. The participants were 30 ESL learners from a language center at a university in China. They were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which received bio-feedback during English vocabulary learning tasks, or a control group, which did not receive bio-feedback. Both groups received the same vocabulary learning tasks and were evaluated based on a pre-test and post-test design. The results showed that the experimental group had significantly higher improvement in English vocabulary learning than the control group. The findings suggest that bio-feedback techniques can be an effective tool in improving English vocabulary learning in ESL learners. Future studies could investigate the underlying physiological and psychological mechanisms of bio-feedback in English vocabulary learning and explore the potential of integrating bio-feedback into language learning technology.

Pain differences in sympathetic nervous system reactivity during simple and complex walking tasks: potential cerebral mechanisms

Autonomic dysregulation may lead to blunted sympathetic reactivity in chronic pain states and autonomic responses are controlled by the central autonomic network (CAN). Little research has examined sympathetic reactivity and associations with brain CAN structures in the presence of chronic pain; thus, the present study aims to investigate chronic pain differences in sympathetic reactivity and associations with CAN brain region volumes. Sympathetic reactivity was measured as change in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) between a resting preparation and walking phases of typical and complex walking tasks (obstacle and dual-task) in 31 participants with (n=19) and without (n=12) chronic musculoskeletal pain using a repeated measures-ANCOVA with Bonferroni corrections. Structural 3T MRI was used to determine gray matter volume associations with ΔSCL in regions of the CAN (i.e., brainstem, amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex, using partial correlations (FDR-corrected) adjusting for important covariates. ΔSCL varied across all walking tasks (main effect p=0.036), with lower ΔSCL in chronic pain participants (21.0±5.4µS) compared to controls (43.4±7.5µS). ΔSCL during typical walking was associated with multiple CAN gray matter volumes, including brainstem, bilateral insula, amygdala, right caudal anterior cingulate cortex (FDRp's<0.05). ΔSCL from typical-to-obstacle walking were associated with volumes of the midbrain segment of the brainstem and anterior segment of the circular sulcus of the insula (FDRp's<0.05), with no other significant associations. ΔSCL from typical-to-dual task walking was associated with the bilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, and left rostral cingulate cortex (FDRp's<0.05). Sympathetic reactivity is blunted during typical and complex walking tasks in persons with chronic pain. Additionally, blunted sympathetic reactivity is associated with CAN brain structure, in a brain region-dependent manner. These results support the idea that chronic pain may negatively impact typical autonomic responses needed for walking performance via its potential impact on the brain. R01AR071431, K01AG048259, and 1 F31 AR077996-01. Autonomic dysregulation may lead to blunted sympathetic reactivity in chronic pain states and autonomic responses are controlled by the central autonomic network (CAN). Little research has examined sympathetic reactivity and associations with brain CAN structures in the presence of chronic pain; thus, the present study aims to investigate chronic pain differences in sympathetic reactivity and associations with CAN brain region volumes. Sympathetic reactivity was measured as change in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) between a resting preparation and walking phases of typical and complex walking tasks (obstacle and dual-task) in 31 participants with (n=19) and without (n=12) chronic musculoskeletal pain using a repeated measures-ANCOVA with Bonferroni corrections. Structural 3T MRI was used to determine gray matter volume associations with ΔSCL in regions of the CAN (i.e., brainstem, amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex, using partial correlations (FDR-corrected) adjusting for important covariates. ΔSCL varied across all walking tasks (main effect p=0.036), with lower ΔSCL in chronic pain participants (21.0±5.4µS) compared to controls (43.4±7.5µS). ΔSCL during typical walking was associated with multiple CAN gray matter volumes, including brainstem, bilateral insula, amygdala, right caudal anterior cingulate cortex (FDRp's<0.05). ΔSCL from typical-to-obstacle walking were associated with volumes of the midbrain segment of the brainstem and anterior segment of the circular sulcus of the insula (FDRp's<0.05), with no other significant associations. ΔSCL from typical-to-dual task walking was associated with the bilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, and left rostral cingulate cortex (FDRp's<0.05). Sympathetic reactivity is blunted during typical and complex walking tasks in persons with chronic pain. Additionally, blunted sympathetic reactivity is associated with CAN brain structure, in a brain region-dependent manner. These results support the idea that chronic pain may negatively impact typical autonomic responses needed for walking performance via its potential impact on the brain. R01AR071431, K01AG048259, and 1 F31 AR077996-01.

Chronic Pain is Associated With Reduced Sympathetic Nervous System Reactivity During Simple and Complex Walking Tasks: Potential Cerebral Mechanisms

Background Autonomic dysregulation may lead to blunted sympathetic reactivity in chronic pain states. Autonomic responses are controlled by the central autonomic network (CAN). Little research has examined sympathetic reactivity and associations with brain CAN structures in the presence of chronic pain; thus, the present study aims to investigate how chronic pain influences sympathetic reactivity and associations with CAN brain region volumes. Methods Sympathetic reactivity was measured as change in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) between a resting reference period and walking periods for typical and complex walking tasks (obstacle and dual-task). Participants included 31 people with (n = 19) and without (n = 12) chronic musculoskeletal pain. Structural 3 T MRI was used to determine gray matter volume associations with ΔSCL in regions of the CAN (i.e., brainstem, amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex). Results ΔSCL varied across walking tasks (main effect p = 0.036), with lower ΔSCL in chronic pain participants compared to controls across trials 2 and 3 under the obstacle walking condition. ΔSCL during typical walking was associated with multiple CAN gray matter volumes, including brainstem, bilateral insula, amygdala, and right caudal anterior cingulate cortex (p’s < 0.05). The difference in ΔSCL from typical-to-obstacle walking were associated with volumes of the midbrain segment of the brainstem and anterior segment of the circular sulcus of the insula (p’s < 0.05), with no other significant associations. The difference in ΔSCL from typical-to-dual task walking was associated with the bilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, and left rostral cingulate cortex (p’s < 0.05). Conclusions Sympathetic reactivity is blunted during typical and complex walking tasks in persons with chronic pain. Additionally, blunted sympathetic reactivity is associated with CAN brain structure, with direction of association dependent on brain region. These results support the idea that chronic pain may negatively impact typical autonomic responses needed for walking performance via its potential impact on the brain.

A Disruption in the Balance of Attentional Systems Plays a Role in Trait Anxiety.

Elevated levels of anxiety are associated with attentional threat biases and inefficient attentional control, with the latter requiring sustained cognitive effort. The current study assessed self-reported and behavioral evidence of attentional functioning, along with electrodermal activity (EDA; measured via changes in skin conductance level [SCL reactivity]) as an index of sympathetic arousal, to examine whether these vulnerabilities are evident among individuals with elevated trait anxiety (non-clinical). Fifty-nine participants completed a working memory span task measuring attentional control under high cognitive load. A visual change detection task assessed stimulus-driven attention as an indicator of vigilance to non-threatening visual information. Trait anxiety was self-reported. SCL was captured at rest and during the working memory task. Results revealed that trait anxiety was positively related to speed of visual change detection, without accuracy costs, suggesting enhanced vigilance for neutral visual information among those higher in trait anxiety. Trait anxiety also moderated the relation between change detection speed and attentional control, such that attentional vigilance was not associated with variation in attentional control for individuals higher in trait anxiety. However, for individuals lower in trait anxiety, vigilance was negatively associated with attention control. The relationship between vigilance and attentional control was also moderated by SCL reactivity such that the association was only significant at lower SCL reactivity levels. Taken together, results suggest that individuals higher in trait anxiety demonstrate greater attentional control in the service of visual detection, but greater attentional control may come at the cost of increased sympathetic arousal.

Atypical Emotional Electrodermal Activity in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Past studies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) indicate atypical peripheral physiological arousal. However, the conditions under which these atypicalities arise and their link with behavioral emotional expressions and core ASD symptoms remain uncertain. Given the importance of physiological arousal in affective, learning, and cognitive processes, the current study examined changes in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) in 41 toddlers with ASD (mean age: 22.7 months, SD: 2.9) and 32 age-matched toddlers with typical development (TD) (mean age: 21.6 months, SD: 3.6) in response to probes designed to induce anger, joy, and fear emotions. The magnitude of ΔSCL was comparable during anger (P = 0.206, d = 0.30) and joy (P = 0.996, d = 0.01) conditions, but significantly lower during the fear condition (P = 0.001, d = 0.83) in toddlers with ASD compared to TD peers. In the combined samples, ΔSCL positively correlated with intensity of behavioral emotional expressivity during the anger (r[71] = 0.36, P = 0.002) and fear (r[68] = 0.32, P = 0.007) conditions, but not in the joy (r[69] = -0.15, P = 0.226) condition. Finally, ΔSCL did not associate with autism symptom severity in any emotion-eliciting condition in the ASD group. Toddlers with ASD displayed attenuated ΔSCL to situations aimed at eliciting fear, which may forecast the emergence of highly prevalent internalizing and externalizing problems in this population. The study putatively identifies ΔSCL as a dimension not associated with severity of autism but with behavioral responses in negatively emotionally challenging events and provides support for the feasibility, validity, and incipient utility of examining ΔSCL in response to emotional challenges in very young children. LAY SUMMARY: Physiological arousal was measured in toddlers with autism exposed to frustrating, pleasant, and threatening tasks. Compared to typically developing peers, toddlers with autism showed comparable arousal responses to frustrating and pleasant events, but lower responses to threatening events. Importantly, physiological arousal and behavioral expressions were aligned during frustrating and threatening events, inviting exploration of physiological arousal to measure responses to emotional challenges. Furthermore, this study advances the understanding of precursors to emotional and behavioral problems common in older children with autism. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1476-1488. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Facial expressiveness and physiological arousal in frontotemporal dementia: Phenotypic clinical profiles and neural correlates.

Early theories of emotion processing propose an interplay between autonomic function and cognitive appraisal of emotions. Patients with frontotemporal dementia show profound social cognition deficits and atrophy in regions implicated in autonomic emotional responses (insula, amygdala, prefrontal cortex), yet objective measures of facial expressiveness and physiological arousal have been relatively unexplored. We investigated psychophysiological responses (surface facial electromyography (EMG); skin conductance level (SCL)) to emotional stimuli in 25 behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) patients, 14 semantic dementia (SD) patients, and 24 healthy older controls, while viewing emotionally positive, neutral, or negative video clips. Voxel-based morphometry was conducted to identify neural correlates of responses. Unlike controls, patients with bvFTD did not show differential facial EMG responses according to emotion condition, whereas SD patients showed increased zygomaticus responses to both positive and neutral videos. Controls showed greater arousal (SCL) when viewing positive and negative videos; however, both bvFTD and SD groups showed no change in SCL across conditions. Regardless of group membership, right insula damage was associated with dampened zygomaticus responses to positive film stimuli. Change in arousal (SCL) was associated with lower integrity of the caudate, amygdala, and temporal pole. Our results demonstrate that while bvFTD patients show an overall dampening of responses, SD patients appear to show incongruous facial emotional expressions. Abnormal responding is related to cortical and subcortical brain atrophy. These results identify potential mechanisms for the abnormal social behaviour in bvFTD and SD and demonstrate that psychophysiological responses are an important mechanism underpinning normal socioemotional functioning.

Mobility Function and Recovery After Stroke: Preliminary Insights From Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

Poststroke hemiparesis increases the perceived challenge of walking. Perceived challenge is commonly measured by self-report, which is susceptible to measurement bias. A promising approach to objectively assess perceived challenge is measuring sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity with skin conductance to detect the physiological stress response. We investigated the feasibility of using skin conductance measurements to detect task-related differences in the challenge posed by complex walking tasks in adults poststroke. Adults poststroke (n = 31) and healthy young adults (n = 8) performed walking tasks including typical walking, walking in dim lighting, walking over obstacles, and dual-task walking. Measures of skin conductance and spatiotemporal gait parameters were recorded. Continuous decomposition analysis was conducted to assess changes in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) and skin conductance response (ΔSCR). A subset of participants poststroke also underwent a 12-week rehabilitation intervention. SNS activity measured by skin conductance (both ΔSCL and ΔSCR) was significantly greater for the obstacles task and dual-task walking than for typical walking in the stroke group. Participants also exhibited "cautious" gait behaviors of slower speed, shorter step length, and wider step width during the challenging tasks. Following the rehabilitation intervention, SNS activity decreased significantly for the obstacles task and dual-task walking. SNS activity measured by skin conductance is a feasible approach for quantifying task-related differences in the perceived challenge of walking tasks in people poststroke. Furthermore, reduced SNS activity during walking following a rehabilitation intervention suggests a beneficial reduction in the physiological stress response evoked by complex walking tasks.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (See Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A234).

Sympathetic nervous system activity measured by skin conductance quantifies the challenge of walking adaptability tasks after stroke

BackgroundWalking adaptability tasks are challenging for people with motor impairments. The construct of perceived challenge is typically measured by self-report assessments, which are susceptible to subjective measurement error. The development of an objective physiologically-based measure of challenge may help to improve the ability to assess this important aspect of mobility function. The objective of this study to investigate the use of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity measured by skin conductance to gauge the physiological stress response to challenging walking adaptability tasks in people post-stroke. MethodsThirty adults with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis performed a battery of seventeen walking adaptability tasks. SNS activity was measured by skin conductance from the palmar surface of each hand. The primary outcome variable was the percent change in skin conductance level (ΔSCL) between the baseline resting and walking phases of each task. Task difficulty was measured by performance speed and by physical therapist scoring of performance. Walking function and balance confidence were measured by preferred walking speed and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, respectively. ResultsThere was a statistically significant negative association between ΔSCL and task performance speed and between ΔSCL and clinical score, indicating that tasks with greater SNS activity had slower performance speed and poorer clinical scores. ΔSCL was significantly greater for low functioning participants versus high functioning participants, particularly during the most challenging walking adaptability tasks. ConclusionThis study supports the use of SNS activity measured by skin conductance as a valuable approach for objectively quantifying the perceived challenge of walking adaptability tasks in people post-stroke.

Abnormal psychophysiological responses to emotional stimuli in dementia

Event Abstract Back to Event Abnormal psychophysiological responses to emotional stimuli in dementia Fiona Kumfor1, 2*, Jessica L. Hazelton1, Jacqueline A. Rushby3, John R. Hodges2, 4 and Olivier Piguet1, 2 1 University of Sydney, School of Psychology & Brain and Mind Sciences, Australia 2 Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (ARC), Australia 3 University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia 4 University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School and Brain and Mind Sciences, Australia AIMS: Early theories of emotion processing propose that autonomic processing and cognitive appraisal of emotions are closely interlinked, with the perception of one’s own emotional state and recognition of emotion in others, occurring secondary to the experience of somatic sensations. Patients with frontotemporal dementia show profound social cognition deficits and atrophy in regions known to be important in autonomic emotional responses (e.g., insula, amygdala, prefrontal cortex). Here, we aimed to investigate whether psychophysiological responding to emotional stimuli is abnormal in frontotemporal dementia syndromes. METHOD: Twenty-three behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) patients, 14 semantic dementia (SD) patients and 22 healthy older controls were recruited. Participants viewed 6 x 2 min video clips which were either emotionally positive, neutral or negative. Surface facial (zygomaticus and corrugator) electromyography (EMG), skin conductance level and pulse were simultaneously recorded using an 8/35 Powerlab Data Acquisition System. RESULTS: Unlike controls, patients with bvFTD did not show differential facial EMG responses according to emotion condition, whereas SD patients showed increased zygomaticus responses to both positive and neutral videos. Controls showed increased skin conductance levels when viewing positive and negative videos, however, both bvFTD and SD groups showed no change in skin conductance level across conditions. Finally, no differences in heart rate were found across groups, despite bvFTD patients showing elevated heart rate at rest. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that psychophysiological responses to emotional stimuli are abnormal in frontotemporal dementia, however, the nature of these differences varies across syndromes. While bvFTD patients show an overall dampening of responses, SD patients appear to show heightened physiological responses which are inconsistent with the emotional content of stimuli. These results identify potential mechanisms for the abnormal social behaviour in bvFTD and SD, and demonstrate that psychophysiological responses are an important mechanism underpinning normal socioemotional functioning. Keywords: Frontotemporal Dementia, emotion, electromyography (EMG), Skin conductance, Heart Rate, Psychophysiology Conference: ASP2017: 27th Annual Meeting for the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Parramatta, Australia, 29 Nov - 1 Dec, 2017. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Abstract (General) Citation: Kumfor F, Hazelton JL, Rushby JA, Hodges JR and Piguet O (2019). Abnormal psychophysiological responses to emotional stimuli in dementia. Conference Abstract: ASP2017: 27th Annual Meeting for the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2017.224.00029 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 05 Oct 2017; Published Online: 25 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Dr. Fiona Kumfor, University of Sydney, School of Psychology & Brain and Mind Sciences, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia, fiona.kumfor@sydney.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Fiona Kumfor Jessica L Hazelton Jacqueline A Rushby John R Hodges Olivier Piguet Google Fiona Kumfor Jessica L Hazelton Jacqueline A Rushby John R Hodges Olivier Piguet Google Scholar Fiona Kumfor Jessica L Hazelton Jacqueline A Rushby John R Hodges Olivier Piguet PubMed Fiona Kumfor Jessica L Hazelton Jacqueline A Rushby John R Hodges Olivier Piguet Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Post-event processing and physiological arousal in social anxiety

Event Abstract Back to Event Post-event processing and physiological arousal in social anxiety Kiho Kim1* 1 Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea Individuals with social anxiety ruminate for hours or even day over their perceived social failures, a process known in the cognitive model of social phobia as post-event processing (PEP) (Clark & Wells, 1995). PEP is unproductive and theoretically maintains anxiety, possibly through the rehearsal and elaboration of negative social memories. Despite this theoretical emphasis, to date, PEP has not been studied extensively in the context of social anxiety. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between social anxiety and PEP. To examine this relationship, changes in skin conductance level of 19 individuals with high social anxiety (HSA) and 21 individuals with low social anxiety (LSA) were measured during a social anxiety-inducing task. The task consisted of a 4-min social interaction with two unknown confederates: ‘1-min self-introduction’, and ‘3-min conversation about ideal type’. Prior to the task, a baseline skin conductance level was assessed, and after the task, participants were given a five minutes recovery period. Also, PEP was measured using post-event rumination scales and memory bias tests after a recovery period. Results indicated that HSA shows significantly higher skin conductance level than LSA during the task and a recovery period. These findings suggest that compared to LSA, HSA may show not only increased physiological arousal levels during social anxiety-inducing period but also delayed recovery from it. Also, HSA shows a higher probability to PEP than LSA. These results provide an empirical support for the idea that PEP would play a crucial role in the development or maintenance of social anxiety. These findings may provide valuable information regarding the treatment of individuals with social anxiety. Keywords: Neuropsychiatry, social anxiety Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neuropsychiatric Applications Citation: Kim K (2011). Post-event processing and physiological arousal in social anxiety. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00119 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 17 Nov 2011; Published Online: 25 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Kiho Kim, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, kihohere@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kiho Kim Google Kiho Kim Google Scholar Kiho Kim PubMed Kiho Kim Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Proxemics with multiple dynamic characters in an immersive virtual environment

An experiment was carried out to examine the impact on electrodermal activity of people when approached by groups of one or four virtual characters at varying distances. It was premised on the basis of proxemics theory that the closer the approach of the virtual characters to the participant, the greater the level of physiological arousal. Physiological arousal was measured by the number of skin conductance responses within a short time period after the approach, and the maximum change in skin conductance level 5 s after the approach. The virtual characters were each either female or a cylinder of human size, and one or four characters approached each subject a total of 12 times. Twelve male subjects were recruited for the experiment. The results suggest that the number of skin conductance responses after the approach and the change in skin conductance level increased the closer the virtual characters approached toward the participants. Moreover, these response variables were inversely correlated with the number of visits, showing a typical adaptation effect. There was some evidence to suggest that the number of characters who simultaneously approached (one or four) was positively associated with the responses. Surprisingly there was no evidence of a difference in response between the humanoid characters and cylinders on the basis of this physiological data. It is suggested that the similarity in this quantitative arousal response to virtual characters and virtual objects might mask a profound difference in qualitative response, an interpretation supported by questionnaire and interview results. Overall the experiment supported the premise that people exhibit heightened physiological arousal the closer they are approached by virtual characters.

An analysis of the correlation between young males' personal aggression and their skin conductance levels during exposure to aggression images

This study investigated the correlation between young males' personal aggression and their skin conductance level (SCL) when watching aggression images. SCL increased when participants viewed aggression images as compared to control images. There was a negative correlation between personal aggression score and degree of change in SCL between aggression and control images.

Psychophysiological prodromal signs of schizophrenic relapse: A pilot study

Do physiological changes occur shortly prior to psychotic relapse in schizophrenia outpatients? We addressed this question in a group of schizophrenia outpatients by measuring changes in symptoms and changes in activation of the sympathetic nervous system, as indexed by changes in skin conductance level (SCL), on a biweekly basis for between one and two years. All six outpatients exhibited heightened SCL within two weeks prior to relapse or exacerbation, compared to SCL proceeding continued remission. These results shed light on the psychotic relapse process and are consistent with neural diathesis-stress models of schizophrenia.

Insular activity during passive viewing of aversive stimuli reflects individual differences in state negative affect

People differ with regard to how they perceive, experience, and express negative affect. While trait negative affect reflects a stable, sustained personality trait, state negative affect represents a stimulus limited and temporally acute emotion. So far, little is known about the neural systems mediating the relationship between negative affect and acute emotion processing. To address this issue we investigated in a healthy female sample how individual differences in state negative affect are reflected in changes in blood oxygen level-dependent responses during passive viewing of emotional stimuli. To assess autonomic arousal we simultaneously recorded changes in skin conductance level. At the psychophysiological level we found increased skin conductance level in response to aversive relative to neutral pictures. However, there was no association of state negative affect with skin conductance level. At the neural level we found that high state negative affect was associated with increased left insular activity during passive viewing of aversive stimuli. The insula has been implicated in interoceptive processes and in the integration of sensory, visceral, and affective information thus contributing to subjective emotional experience. Greater recruitment of the insula in response to aversive relative to neutral stimuli in subjects with high state negative affect may represent increased processing of salient aversive stimuli.

Autonomic reactivity to sensory stimulation is related to consciousness level after severe traumatic brain injury

Objective To examine changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that are related to recovery to consciousness in the post-acute phase after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). Methods Skin conductance and heart rate reactivity to sensory stimulation were recorded every 2 weeks for an average period of 3.5 months in 16 adolescent patients, during the assessment of their level of consciousness (LoC), and their cognitive and functional behaviour. Results Both heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) in reaction to sensory stimulation changed with recovery to consciousness. Indices of HRV and SCL that represent sympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) increased with recovery, whereas indices that represent parasympathetic activity decreased. In addition, we observed an increase in sympathovagal balance of the ANS with recovery. Conclusions Recovery to consciousness determined by clinical observation in sTBI in the post-acute phase is related to changes in SCL and HRV during sensory stimulation. ANS reactivity to environmental stimulation can therefore give objective supplementary information about the clinical state of sTBI patients, and can contribute to decision-making in the treatment policy of unresponsive patients. Significance These findings demonstrate that autonomic reactivity can be informative concerning how a severely damaged nervous system reacts to environmental stimulation and how, in a recovering nervous system, this reactivity changes.

A comparison of the muscular relaxation effect of TENS and EMG‐biofeedback in patients with bruxism

This study investigated effects of electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback (BFB) and transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS) on the EMG activity of the masticatory muscles and skin conductance level (SCL) of patients, suffering from myofacial pain syndrome. In the course of the investigation, EMG activity as well as the SCL was measured after a 20 min BFB or, respectively, after a myomonitor session in 20 patients and pre‐ and post‐treatment values were compared. Results showed tendencies of decreased mean‐EMG levels for both groups after the treatment sessions, with higher EMG values for the myomonitor group. There was no indication of a significant decrease in mean EMG levels over the sessions. Furthermore, an increase of the SCL during the period of treatment was observed for both groups in session I and II, while session III produced nearly stable values. No existing correlations for changes in SCL and EMG‐activity could be established.

Cue-elicited cocaine craving and autogenic relaxation: Association with treatment outcome

Prior to entering a pharmacotheraphy trial for the treatment of cocaine dependence, 19 patients participated in a pretreatment cue-reactivity protocol that concluded with a relaxation exercise. Measures included self-reported craving and skin conductance level (SCL). Post hoc exploratory analyses suggest that neither craving nor change in SCL in response to cocaine cues differentiated patients who subsequently achieved abstinence from those who did not. Craving following the relaxation procedure did differentiate the two groups: patients who subsequently initiated abstinence in treatment reported a reduction in cue-elicited craving to below baseline levels; craving reported by patients who did not successfully complete treatment remained elevated.

Tonic and phasic electrodermal measures of human aversive conditioning with long duration stimuli.

Two experiments investigated phasic and tonic electrodermal responding to long, variable-duration stimuli in aversive conditioning procedures. Experiment I demonstrated reliable differential conditioning on both phasic (first interval response, FIR) and tonic (change in skin conductance level, delta SCL; spontaneous fluctuations) measures, using 10-40-s slides as conditioned stimuli (CSs) and electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Experiment 2 examined the sensitivity of phasic and tonic measures to UCS aversiveness. Both FIR and delta SCL were greater to a conditioned stimulus paired with shock than one paired with an innocuous reaction-time warning tone. Responding was reversed when the reinforcement contingencies were reversed. It was suggested that, with long duration CSs and an aversive UCS, phasic measures to stimulus onset, such as FIR, may reflect both stimulus significance and threat appraisal, whereas tonic measures reflect primarily arousal or anxiety arising from anticipation of the aversive unconditioned stimulus.