Dynamic causal modeling of spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance.
Spontaneous fluctuations (SF) in skin conductance are often used to index sympathetic arousal and emotional states. SF are caused by sudomotor nerve activity (SNA), which is a direct indicator of sympathetic arousal. Here, we describe a dynamic causal model (DCM) of how SNA causes SF, and apply variational Bayesian model inversion to infer SNA, given empirically observed SF. The estimated SNA bears a relationship to the number of SF as derived from conventional (semi-visual) analysis. Crucially, we show that, during public speaking induced anxiety, the estimated number of SNA bursts is a better predictor of the (known) psychological state than the number of SF. We suggest dynamic causal modeling of SF potentially allows a more precise and informed inference about arousal than purely descriptive methods.
Bach
Dominik R
DR
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United KingdomInstitute for Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Daunizeau
Jean
J
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United KingdomInstitute for Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Kuelzow
Nadine
N
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United KingdomInstitute for Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Friston
Karl J
KJ
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United KingdomInstitute for Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Dolan
Raymond J
RJ
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United KingdomInstitute for Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055815:Young Adult