title: Modelling event-related skin conductance responses.
abstract: Analytic tools for psychophysiological signals often make implicit assumptions that are unspecified. In developing a mathematical framework for analysis of skin conductance responses [SCRs], we formalise our assumptions by positing that SCRs can be regarded as the output of a linear time-invariant filter. Here, we provide an empirical test of these assumptions. Our findings indicate that a large component of the variance in SCRs can be explained by one response function per individual. We note that baseline variance (i.e. variance in the absence of evoked responses) is higher than variance that could not be explained by a linear time-invariant model of evoked responses. Furthermore, there was no evidence for nonlinear interactions among evoked responses that depended on their temporal overlap. We develop a canonical response function and show that it can be used for signals from different recording sites. We discuss the implications of these observations for model-based analysis of SCRs.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom. d.bach@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Dominik R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flandin
authors.forename: Karl J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Friston
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dolan
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004597:Electroshock / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult