Changes in skin potential level during sleep in psychiatric patients

Abstract

Electrodermal activity in human subjects has been studied in two separate ways. It has either been measured indirectly as skin resistance (or conductance) or directly as skin potential. In both cases absolute levels and spontaneously occurring fluctuations have been measured. Electrodermal activity has long been regarded as a useful measure of arousal in the waking state. With regard to skin resistance the number of spontaneously occurring fluctuations has been found to be especially reliable in this respect (Johnson, 1963;Lader and Wing, 1964