title: Sleep-related electrodermal activity patterns in impotent patients.
abstract: The etiology of erectile failure is not always clear despite the fact that recordings of nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) are used to detect patients with a significant organic component to their complaint. We recorded electrodermal activity in addition to NPT in 60 impotent patients. Normally more electrodermal activity occurs in stage 2 than in stage REM sleep. Despite a similar total amount of electrodermal activity, organically impotent patients tended to have less electrodermal activity in stage 2 and more in stage REM sleep than those with normal NPT. This difference was due to a subgroup of 15 organically impotent patients with less electrodermal activity in stage 2 than in stage REM sleep. Because of this difference in the pattern of electrodermal activity in relation to sleep stages, the results suggest a central nervous system change is related to impaired erectile capability and abnormal NPT in these cases.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010413:Penis / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone