Zahn T P, Nurnberger J I, Berrettini W H
Laboratory of Psychology and Psychopathology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md 20892.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989 Dec;46(12):1120-4. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810120062010.
Low electrodermal activity has been proposed as a trait marker for affective disorder. We attempted to determine if low electrodermal activity could be a genetic marker by testing subjects at genetic risk for affective disorder. High-risk subjects, 22 offspring of a parent with bipolar affective disorder, and 27 low-risk controls 15 to 25 years old had skin conductance recorded bilaterally during rest periods, presentation of 10 nonsignal tones, and performance of reaction-time and mental arithmetic tasks. There were no significant differences in skin conductance levels under any condition or in the frequency or amplitude of orienting responses to nonsignal tones. During task periods high-risk subjects showed significantly greater electrodermal activity that was lateralized to the left hand. Self-rated depression was higher in the high-risk group during task periods. The results show that low electrodermal activity is not a likely genetic marker for affective disorder but suggest that autonomic hyperresponsivity, atypically lateralized information processing, and depressive affect occur during mild stress in persons at risk for the development of affective disorder.
低皮肤电活动已被提出作为情感障碍的一种特质标记。我们试图通过对有情感障碍遗传风险的受试者进行测试，来确定低皮肤电活动是否可能是一种遗传标记。高危受试者为22名患有双相情感障碍的父母的后代，以及27名年龄在15至25岁的低危对照组，在休息期间、呈现10个非信号音以及进行反应时间和心算任务时，双侧记录他们的皮肤电导。在任何条件下，皮肤电导水平或对非信号音的定向反应的频率或幅度均无显著差异。在任务期间，高危受试者表现出明显更大的皮肤电活动，且偏向于左手侧。在任务期间，高危组的自评抑郁程度更高。结果表明，低皮肤电活动不太可能是情感障碍的遗传标记，但表明在有情感障碍发展风险的人群中，在轻度压力下会出现自主神经反应过度、非典型的偏向性信息处理和抑郁情绪。
