Analytic measures for quantification of arousal from spontaneous skin conductance fluctuations.
Autonomic arousal is often indexed by spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance. Here, we derive a simple measure of sympathetic arousal, using a convolution model of how sudomotor bursting causes fluctuations in skin conductivity. Under this model, the time-integral of measured conductance is proportional to the frequency and amplitude of sudomotor bursts. We demonstrate the validity of this measure in relation to finite impulse response models, and show that it is a better predictor of autonomic arousal, relative to conventional measures.
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom. d.bach@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
Dominik R
DR
Bach
Karl J
KJ
Friston
Raymond J
RJ
Dolan
D019540:Area Under Curve; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D013997:Time Factors