Dawson M E, Nuechterlein K H, Schell A M, Gitlin M, Ventura J
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994 Oct;51(10):813-24. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950100061006.
Tonic electrodermal measures have been widely used to index autonomic abnormalities in schizophrenia, whereas phasic electrodermal nonresponsiveness has been frequently used to index attentional orienting abnormalities. The primary objective of the present study was to assess whether these electrodermal abnormalities are episode indicators or vulnerability indicators.
Twenty patients with a recent first episode of schizophrenia were tested during symptomatically remitted states and psychotic states. Twenty demographically matched normal controls were tested at two comparable intervals. Testing for stability of abnormalities across remitted and psychotic states allowed us to determine whether tonic and phasic electrodermal measures qualify as episode indicators or vulnerability indicators.
Tonic electrodermal activity was abnormally elevated only during the psychotic state, which indicates that it is an episode indicator in schizophrenia. Phasic hyporesponsiveness relative to levels of general activation was present in both the remitted and the psychotic states, most strikingly during the psychotic state, and the proportion of patients who were electrodermally nonresponsive tended to be abnormally high during the remission test.
Tonic electrodermal hyperarousal appears to be a state-sensitive episode indicator, whereas phasic electrodermal hyporesponsiveness to innocuous stimuli relative to activation level appears to be a mediating vulnerability factor.
强直性皮肤电反应措施已被广泛用于指示精神分裂症患者的自主神经功能异常，而阶段性皮肤电反应无反应性则经常被用于指示注意力定向异常。本研究的主要目的是评估这些皮肤电反应异常是发作指标还是易感性指标。
对20例近期首次发作精神分裂症的患者在症状缓解期和精神病发作期进行测试。选取20名年龄、性别匹配的正常对照者，在两个可比的时间间隔进行测试。通过测试缓解期和精神病发作期异常情况的稳定性，我们能够确定强直性和阶段性皮肤电反应措施是否可作为发作指标或易感性指标。
强直性皮肤电活动仅在精神病发作期异常升高，这表明它是精神分裂症的发作指标。相对于总体激活水平的阶段性低反应性在缓解期和精神病发作期均存在，在精神病发作期最为明显，并且在缓解期测试时皮肤电无反应的患者比例往往异常高。
强直性皮肤电活动增强似乎是一种状态敏感的发作指标，而相对于激活水平对无害刺激阶段性皮肤电反应低反应性似乎是一个中介易感性因素。
