Skin Conductance and Subjective Arousal in Anxiety, Depression, and Comorbidity

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laina E. Rosebrock ◽  
Denada Hoxha ◽  
Catherine Norris ◽  
John T. Cacioppo ◽  
Jackie K. Gollan
Keyword(s):  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Emotional Picture ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Picture Viewing ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Subjective Arousal ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract. Skin conductance (SC), an autonomic arousal measure of the sympathetic nervous system, is a sensitive and useful index of physiological arousal. However, SC data does not always align with self-reports of arousal. SC, self-reported arousal, and their association, known as emotion coherence, may be altered with the presence of major psychiatric illness. This study investigated group differences on SC reactivity and self-reported arousal while viewing positive, negative, neutral, and threat images between participants diagnosed with major depression with and without anxiety disorders relative to a healthy comparison group. Additionally, the strength and direction of association between SC reactivity and arousal ratings (emotion coherence) was examined within groups. Unmedicated participants were recruited via online and paper advertisements around Chicago and categorized into one of four groups (Depressed: n = 35, Anxious: n = 44, Comorbid: n = 38, Healthy: n = 29). SC and affect ratings were collected during and after a standardized emotional picture viewing task. SC reactivity was significantly higher during threat images, regardless of group. During threat image presentation, increased SC reactivity occurred during the last few seconds before picture offset; for all other stimulus types, SC reactivity decreased significantly after picture offset. Anxious and comorbid participants rated emotional images as more arousing than healthy participants; there were no observed differences in arousal ratings between depressed and healthy participants. Heightened reactivity in anxiety may manifest in arousal ratings without corresponding increased SC reactivity to emotional images. Results do not suggest underlying altered psychophysiology in this sample of depressed or anxious participants.

Language anxiety in the immigrant context: Sweaty palms?

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 717-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeşim Sevinç
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Skin Conductance Level ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Self Reports

Aims and objectives: This is a proof-of-concept study designed to evaluate the level of language anxiety among immigrants by assessing autonomic arousal associated with heritage language anxiety and majority language anxiety among three generations of Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. It examines the possible relationship between physiology, bilingual speech, language background variables and language anxiety. Design: Two measures of electrodermal activity – skin conductance level (SCL) and skin conductance response (SCR) – were recorded during a video-retelling task in six experimental phases: baseline (2×), free (bilingual) mode (2×), monolingual heritage-language (Turkish) mode, and monolingual majority-language (Dutch) mode. Participants ( n=30) ranked their level of language anxiety after the Turkish monolingual mode and Dutch monolingual mode. A Likert scale-based questionnaire was used to gather information on language background variables (i.e. age of acquisition, oral language proficiency and frequency of language use). Findings: Third-generation bilinguals, to a greater extent than first- and second-generation bilinguals, demonstrated greater autonomic arousal during the Turkish monolingual mode than during the Dutch one. Participants’ SCLs/SCRs in monolingual modes were strongly correlated with their self-reports on heritage and majority language anxiety. Higher levels of SCLs/SCRs in the Turkish monolingual mode were negatively correlated with participants’ Turkish oral proficiency levels and frequency of daily use of Turkish. The correlations between SCLs/SCRs in the Dutch monolingual mode and participants’ Dutch oral proficiency levels and frequency of daily use of Dutch, on the other hand, were low to non-significant. These findings suggest that language anxiety is also related to social and psychological factors, rather than only self-perceived low language proficiency. Implications: The outcome confirms the presence of language anxiety in immigrant contexts. An interdisciplinary approach that applies physiological measures together with social factors and self-reports can shed further light on language anxiety. Originality: The study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of language anxiety in immigrant contexts and provides evidence for the relationship between anxiety, bilingual speech and autonomic arousal.

scholarly journals Frontal Brain Activity and Subjective Arousal During Emotional Picture Viewing in Nightmare Sufferers

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Carr ◽  
Richard Summers ◽  
Ceri Bradshaw ◽  
Courtney Newton ◽  
Leslie Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Emotional Picture ◽  
Picture Viewing ◽  
Subjective Arousal

scholarly journals Dynamic integration and segregation of amygdala subregional functional circuits linking to physiological arousal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yimeng Zeng ◽  
Fuxiang Tao ◽  
Zaixu Cui ◽  
Liyun Wu ◽  
Jiahua Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Physiological Arousal ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Autonomic Responses ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
Brain Circuitry ◽  
Dynamic Integration

AbstractThe dynamical organization of brain networks is essential to support human cognition and emotion for rapid adaption to ever-changing environment. As the core nodes of emotion-related brain circuitry, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and centromedial amygdala (CMA) are recognized as two major amygdalar nuclei that regulate distinct affective functions and internal autonomic responses via their unique connections with cortical and subcortical structures in rodents. However, little is known how the dynamical organization of emotion-related brain circuitry reflects internal autonomic responses in humans. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with concurrent recording of skin conductance, we show robust dynamic integration and segregation states of amygdala subregion-related intrinsic functional networks linked to spontaneous autonomic arousal. Time-varying connectivity analysis of resting-state fMRI data with K-means clustering approach revealed two distinct states of BLA- and CMA-based connectivity patterns, with a segregation state showing generally stronger BLA- than CMA-based connectivity with cortical regions, and an integration state showing substantial overlapping, in a spatiotemporal manner, between BLA- and CMA-based connectivity networks. Critically, further analysis of skin conductance revealed that state-specific BLA- and CMA-based connectivity patterns were predictive of fluctuations of skin conductance, with higher predictive accuracy in the integration than segregation states. There are distinct BLA and CMA target network configurations in the integration and segregation states that predict spontaneous skin conductance levels and likely reflect spontaneous autonomic or physiological arousal. Our findings highlight dynamic functional organization of emotion-related amygdala nuclei circuits and networks and its links to spontaneous autonomic arousal in humans.

Autonomic Arousal in Eating Disorders: Further Evidence for the Clinical Subdivision of Anorexia Nervosa

1983 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Calloway ◽  
Peter Fonagy ◽  
Anthony Wakeling
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Skin Conductance Level ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Skin Conductance Responses ◽  
Conductance Level

SummaryAutonomic arousal, measured by skin conductance level and response, was examined in 36 female patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) and 32 control subjects. No differences were found between the control group and anorexics who lost weight solely through dieting (restricting anorexics). Patients with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and anorexics with bulimic features, however, showed fewer spontaneous skin conductance responses and were faster to habituate to 85 dB tones than either controls or restricting anorexic patients. The pattern of findings supports recent views concerning the clinical subdivision of anorexia nervosa.

scholarly journals Everyday Prospective Memory and Executive Function Deficits Associated with Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Heffernan ◽  
Terence S. O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Second Hand Smoke ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Retrospective Memory ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Detrimental Impact ◽  
Memory Questionnaire

This study explored whether exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) has a detrimental impact upon everyday memory in two groups of non-smokers; one which reported regular exposure to SHS and one that reported never having been exposed to SHS. Thirty-four non-smokers who reported having been regularly exposed to SHS (SHS group) and 34 non-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS (non-SHS group) were compared on self-reports of prospective memory (PM: remembering future intentions and/or activities) and executive function (EF: those processes involved in attention, multitasking and decision-making). The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) assessed everyday PM lapses; the Executive Function Questionnaire (EFQ) assessed self-reported problems in EF; a drug-use questionnaire and a mood questionnaire were also administered. Two univariate ANCOVAs were applied to the PM and EF data, controlling for between-group differences in age, weekly alcohol use, anxiety and depression scores, and self-reported retrospective memory scores. The SHS group reported significantly more lapses on the PRMQ and more deficits on the EFQ than the non-SHS group. These findings provide new insights into PM and EF deficits associated with prolonged exposure to SHS in a group of non-smokers. Possible explanations and suggestions for future research are also considered.

Effects of The Men’s Program on U.S. Army Soldiers’ Intentions to Commit and Willingness to Intervene to Prevent Rape: A Pretest Posttest Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 911-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Foubert ◽  
Ryan C. Masin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Rape Prevention ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Willingness To Intervene ◽  
The Military ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Noncommissioned male officers in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany were trained to present a 1-hour rape prevention workshop—The Men’s Program—to 237 enlisted male soldiers. A comparison group of 244 male soldiers received a briefing focused on reducing the individual’s risk for experiencing sexual assault, discussion of myths and facts about sexual assault, and how to avoid being accused of sexual assault. Participants in The Men’s Program experienced significant change in the predicted direction for bystander willingness to help, bystander efficacy, rape myth acceptance, likelihood of raping, and likelihood of committing sexual assault with low to medium effect sizes. Comparison group participants experienced no effect on these variables except for a significant decline in rape myth acceptance with a very low effect size.Between-group differences pointed to the efficacy of The Men’s Program. Implications of these results for rape prevention programming in the military are discussed.

scholarly journals Oxytocin enhances the recovery of eye-contact induced autonomic arousal: A treatment mechanism study with placebo-controlled design

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky Daniels ◽  
Jellina Prinsen ◽  
Javier R. Soriano ◽  
Kaat Alaerts
Keyword(s):  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Skin Conductance Responses

AbstractThe neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is suggested to exert a pivotal role in a variety of complex human behaviors, including trust, attachment, social perception and fear-regulation. Previous studies have demonstrated that intranasal administration of OT reduces subjective and neuroendocrine stress responses and dampens amygdala reactivity. Moreover, OT has been proposed to modulate activity of the autonomic nervous system.Here, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 56 men, to investigate whether a single-dose of OT (24 IU) modulates sympathetic autonomic arousal upon live dyadic gaze interactions. To do so, electro-dermal recordings of skin conductance were performed during the engagement of eye contact with a live model in a naturalistic two-person social context.In accordance to prior research, direct eye gaze elicited a significant enhancement in skin conductance responses, but OT did not specifically enhance or dampen the overall magnitude (amplitude) of the autonomic arousal response. Administration of OT did facilitate the recovery of skin conductance responses back to baseline (increased steepness of recovery slope), indicating a role of OT in restoring homeostatic balance. Notably, the treatment-effect on autonomic recovery was most prominent in participants with low self-reported social responsiveness and high attachment avoidance, indicating that person-dependent factors play a pivotal role in determining OT treatment-responses. Behaviorally, OT significantly reduced self-reported feelings of tension and (at trend-level) worrying about how one presents oneself.Together, these observations add further evidence to a role of OT in reducing subjective and autonomic stress responses, primarily by facilitating restoration of homeostatic balance after (social) stress-induced perturbation.

scholarly journals Contextual Information Modulates Pupil Size in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Tortelli ◽  
Antonella Pomè ◽  
Marco Turi ◽  
Roberta Igliozzi ◽  
David Charles Burr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparison Group ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Clinical Group ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background. Recent Bayesian models suggest that perception is more “data-driven” and less dependent on contextual information in autistic individuals than others. However, experimental tests of this hypothesis have given mixed results, possibly due to the lack of objectivity of the self-report methods typically employed. Here we introduce an objective no-report paradigm based on pupillometry to assess the processing of contextual information in autistic children and a comparison clinical group.Methods. After validating (in a group of neurotypical adults) a child-friendly pupillometric paradigm, in which we embedded test images within an animation movie that participants watched passively, we compared pupillary response to images of the sun and meaningless control images in children with autism versus age- and IQ-matched children presenting developmental disorders unrelated to the autistic spectrum. Results. Both clinical groups showed stronger pupillary constriction for the sun images compared with control images, like the neurotypical adults. There was no detectable difference between autistic children and the comparison group (in spite of a significant difference in pupillary light responses, enhanced in the autistic group). Limitations: Having found no statistically significant differences between groups, we cannot exclude that group differences existed but were too small to be detected – a critique that applies to most negative findings. Additional limitations concern the heterogeneous composition of the comparison group and the types of stimuli tested, which only allowed for studying the effect of context on relatively complex perceptual processes. Conclusions: Our report introduces an objective technique for studying perception in clinical samples and children. The lack of statistically significant group differences in our tests suggests that autistic children and the comparison group do not show large differences in perception of these stimuli. This opens the way to further studies testing contextual processing at other levels of perception.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document