A continuous measure of phasic electrodermal activity

作者：Mathias Benedek, Christian Kaernbach · 发表于：Journal of Neuroscience Methods · 年份：2010 · DOI：10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.04.028 · 被引用次数：1710 · 研究领域：EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces、Neural dynamics and brain function、Neuroscience and Music Perception

Electrodermal activity is characterized by the superposition of what appear to be single distinct skin conductance responses (SCRs). Classic trough-to-peak analysis of these responses is impeded by their apparent superposition. A deconvolution approach is proposed, which separates SC data into continuous signals of tonic and phasic activity. The resulting phasic activity shows a zero baseline, and overlapping SCRs are represented by predominantly distinct, compact impulses showing an average duration of less than 2 s. A time integration of the continuous measure of phasic activity is proposed as a straightforward indicator of event-related sympathetic activity. The quality and benefit of the proposed measure is demonstrated in an experiment with short interstimulus intervals as well as by means of a simulation study. The advances compared to previous decomposition methods are discussed.