The British Journal of Psychiatry 150: 365-373 (1987)
© 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Chronic schizophrenic disorder. I. Psychophysiological responses, laterality and social stress
C White, J Farley and P Charles
Bilateral palmar skin conductance and heart rate were measured throughout a
series of psychological tests and during both sitting and ambulant social
interactions in 14 right-handed men with chronic schizophrenic disorder and
12 healthy volunteers matched for age and handedness. Miniature radio
telemetry equipment was used to collect the physiological data. The
schizophrenic group was effectively unresponsive to 70-dB auditory stimuli,
while all but one of the control group responded and habituated to a nil
response by the tenth tone in sequence. The schizophrenic group showed some
evidence of increased skin conductance activity at rest, and in socially
demanding conditions skin conductance level and variability were increased
in the right hand. The present group of electrodermal 'non-responders' was
not in general autonomically under-active. Asymmetry of skin conductance
activity during social interaction may be a characteristic of chronic
schizophrenic disorder.
