Some relationships between electrical signs of central and peripheral activity: I. During rest.

Abstract

Three theoretical positions are available to those who attempt to present physiological correlates of ' mental' activity. The first position is one of long experimental standing, that which postulates a close if not an exact correspondence between peripheral (muscular) activity and 'mental' phenomena. The second position is one of equally long standing (although precise, experimental approaches are fairly modern), that which postulates a close if not an exact correspondence between central (cerebral) activity and 'mental' phenomena. The third position is one which straddles the fence, so to speak, and sees 'mental' phenomena as a total organismic process involving both central and peripheral physiological mechanisms.The bolstering of all these viewpoints has become easier with the development of modern electrophysiological techniques which enable the investigator to record fairly localized physiological phenomena, in the intact human organism, under a veriety of controlled laboratory conditions.Several investigators have used electrophysiological techniques in the study of the relationship between 'mental' activity and peripheral activity. These workers have presented a considerable body of evidence indicating that mus-1 This study is the first of a series of papers bea ring upon this general topic under the direction of Dr. John R. Knott in the laboratories of the Department of Psychology in the State University of Iowa.

Level of autonomic activity and electroencephalogram.

“…rate is increased and EEG amplitude is decreased (or frequency increased) by excitation (24,48). A relation similar to Hadley's (47) appears in the present study.…”

“…rate is increased and EEG amplitude is decreased (or frequency increased) by excitation (24,48). A relation similar to Hadley's (47) appears in the present study. The possibility that this relationship characteristic of the resting state is attributable to a predominance of subcortically determined regulatory activity over central excitatory (cortical?)…”

“…or by narrowing age range to 15 to 20 years. This, it is to be noted, is the identical figure reported for this correlation by Hadley (47). There is no positive correlation between blood pressure and EEG potential, r --.I4± .06, thus eliminating the possibility that results are attributable to blood supply.…”

Electroencephalography and physiological psychology: evaluation and statement of problem.

“…J. M. Hadley concomitantly recorded the EEG, the electromyogram (EMG), and the electrocardiogram (EKG) in an attempt to establish some relationships between central and peripheral activity. This investigation was divided into two subattacks, one during minimal psychological activity (22), the other during supraminimal, but presumably submaximal, psychological activity (23). In both, the measures used were EEG frequency and amplitude in the left motor (LM) and left occipital (LO) areas, EKG frequency, and EMG (forearm) amplitude.…”

Psychological and psychophysiological significance of the electroencephalogram.

“…They range from 7 to 14 per second, depending primarily on the age (65,86,108) and metabolic level (56,67,72,87,101,104,111); they are the highest normal waking potentials recordable from the outside of the skull; and they tend to be strongest in occipital regions (1,2,65,71,72,85,103). Beta low potential fast activity from 18 to 40 per second, tends to be more prominent in frontal regions (71, 72, 103) and typically displaces waking alpha activity during increased 'tension' or excitation (9,16,33,52,62,75,76,88,110,112). Electrical activity of the waking state thus presents a paradox, low potential beta being associated with maximum cerebral activity, whereas high potential alpha characterizes a low level of waking cerebral activity (29).…”