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Patterns of electrical skin resistance in man

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Summary

  1. 1.

    As an approach to the study of regional or segmental variation in sympathetic activity, skin resistance explorations were conducted on the backs of several hundred subjects under resting, non-sweating conditions.

  2. 2.

    The methods used included the conventional exploration with handheld electrode and two semi-automatic recording methods.

  3. 3.

    The following principles characterize our methods:

    1. a)

      Momentary current flow is read or recorded, in correct spatial relation to the explored area, as the exploring electrode moves over the skin, while a constant voltage is applied.

    2. b)

      Area-to-area variations in resistance upon the general resistance level found in the subject at the time of the exploration, are determined.

    3. c)

      The explorations are conducted under conditions in which resistance is generally high or rising.

    4. d)

      Exploration voltage is adjusted according to general resistance level in such a way that the range of currentvariations is fairly uniform, regardless of the general resistance level.

  4. 4.

    Areas sharply differentiated by low resistance (high current) values were found in all subjects. The patterns of distribution varied from subject to subject.

  5. 5.

    Repeated “sampling” of patterns revealed that the patterns of segmental distribution of the relatively low-resistance areas were highly reproducible and characteristic for each subject, often over periods of many months, and despite large changes in the general resistance level.

  6. 6.

    It is shown that the patterns consist, not of skin areas “fixed” in low resistance, but of areas (segmental levels and sides) in which theprobability of finding low resistance values (high current flow) as compared with the general resistance at any time is high. As compared with all other areas of skin, these areas show much larger and earlier decreases in resistance in transitions from generally high to generally low levels of resistance; the low resistance values are much more persistent in these areas in transitions from generally low to generally high levels of resistance.

  7. 7.

    It is suggested that the factors which determine the area-to-area differences in resistance may be different from those which determine the much larger variations ingeneral resistance level.

  8. 8.

    A segmental origin of at least some of the low-resistance areas was indicated in the frequent presence of apparently dermatomal strips.

  9. 9.

    The relation of ESR patterns, as measured here, to regional variations in excitability of autonomic pathways is briefly discussed.

Zusammenfassung

  1. 1.

    Als eine Annäherung an das Studium der reoginalen oder segmentalen Veränderungen der Sympathikustätigkeit wurden Hautwiderstandsuntersuchungen am Rücken mehrerer hundert Personen unter Grundumsatzbedingungen durchgeführt.

  2. 2.

    Die verwendeten Methoden bestanden in der üblichen Untersuchung mit Handelektroden und zwei halbautomatischen Registrierungen.

  3. 3.

    Folgende Prinzipien charakterisieren unsere Methoden:

    1. a)

      Der momentane Stromzufluß wird abgelesen und registriert, in genauer räumlicher Beziehung zum untersuchten Gebiet, wenn die untersuchende Elektrode bei konstanter applizierter Spannung über die Haut streicht.

    2. b)

      Die Veränderungen des Widerstandes von Gebiet zu Gebiet gegenüber dem allgemeinen Widerstandsniveau der Versuchsperson (V. P.) zur Zeit der Untersuchung werden bestimmt.

    3. c)

      Die Untersuchungen sind unter Bedingungen, bei denen gewöhnlich der Widerstand hoch oder steigend ist, ausgeführt.

    4. d)

      Ohne Rücksicht auf das allgemeine Widerstandsniveau sind die Untersuchungen angepaßt an dasselbe, dergestalt, daß das Ausmaß der Stromänderungen ziemlich gleichmäßig ist.

  4. 4.

    Durch geringe Widerstands-(hohen Strom) werte charakterisierte Gebiete wurden bei allen V. P. gefunden. Die Art der Verteilung variierte von Mensch zu Mensch.

  5. 5.

    Die wiederholte Erprobung dieser Verhältnisse ergab, daß die segmentale Anordnung der Gebiete mit relativ niedrigem Widerstand in hohem Grad reduzierbar war und für jede Versuchsperson charakteristisch, oft über viele Monate und trotz großer Änderungen im allgemeinen Widerstandsniveau.

  6. 6.

    Es wird gezeigt, daß die Ergebnisse nicht in fixen Hautrealen von niedrigem Widerstand bestehen, sondern in Gebieten (segmentalen Niveaus und Seiten), in welchen dieWahrscheinlichkeit groß ist, niedrige Widerstandswerte zu finden (hohe Stromwerte), verglichen mit dem allgemeinen Widerstand zu jeder Zeit. Im Vergleich mit allen anderen Hautgebieten zeigen diese Areale viel größere und frühere Abnahme des Widerstandes, bei Übergang vom allgemein höheren zu allgemein niedrigen Widerstandsniveau. Die niedrigen Widerstandswerte in diesen Gebieten sind viel persistierender, übergehend vom allgemein tiefen zu allgemein hohen Widerstandsniveau.

  7. 7.

    Es wird angenommen, daß den Faktoren, die die von Gebiet zu Gebiet differierenden Widerstände bestimmen, andere sind, als die, welche die viel größere Veränderungen im allgemeinen Widerstandsniveau bestimmen.

  8. 8.

    Ein segmentaler Ursprung von wenigstens einigen der niederohmigen Gebiete wurde festgestellt in dem häufigen Vorkommen von offenkundigen Dermatomstreifen.

  9. 9.

    Die Beziehung des elektrischen Hautwiderstandes, wie hier gemessen, zu regionalen Veränderungen in der Reizbarkeit autonomer Leitwege wird kurz diskutiert.

Résumé

  1. 1.

    Pour étudier les variations régionales ou segmentales de l'activité du nerf sympathique des explorations dermiques sur le dos de quelques centaines des personnes étaient exécutées, sous conditions métaboliques basales.

  2. 2.

    Les méthodes employées contiennent l'exploration conventionelle avec des électrodes pour les mains et deux régistrations sémiautomatiques.

  3. 3.

    Nos méthodes sont caractérisées par les principes suivants:

    1. a)

      Le courant électrique momentané est lu et régistré en relation correcte à la région examinée quand l'électrode explorante effleure la peau pendant l'application d'un voltage constant.

    2. b)

      Les variations de la résistance d'une région à l'autre ou parallèle au niveau de la résistance générale du sujet pendant l'exploration sont déterminées.

    3. c)

      Les examens étaient exécutés sous conditions dans lesquelles la résistance est généralement haute ou montante.

    4. d)

      Le voltage pour l'exploration est adapté au niveau de la résistance générale de manière que la quantité des variations du courant soit à peu près uniforme, sans regard au niveau de la résistance générale.

  4. 4.

    Toutes les personnes examinées montrèrent des régions bien caractérisées par valeurs d'une résistance basse (courant haut). La manière de la distribution variait d'une personne à l'autre.

  5. 5.

    L'épreuve répétée de ces phénomènes révélait que la sorte de la distribution segmentaire des régions d'une résistance relativement basse était réproductible à un haut degré est caractéristique pour chaque personne, souvent pendant plusieurs mois et en dépit des changements accentués du niveau de la résistance générale.

  6. 6.

    On démontre que les résultats ne se composent pas de régions dermiques à une fixe résistance basse mais de régions du niveau et du côté segmentaire dans lesquelles la probabilité de trouver des valeurs d'une résistance basse (courant haut) comparés avec la résistance générale de chaque temps est grande. Comparés avec toutes les autres ces régions montrent une diminution de la résistance généralement haute un niveau de résistance généralement basse. Les valeurs de la résistance basse sont beaucoup plus persistentes dans ces régions, passant des niveaux à résistance généralement basse aux niveaux à résistance haute.

  7. 7.

    Il est présumé que les facteurs qui déterminent les différences de la résistance de région en région soient différents de ceux qui déterminent les variations beaucoup plus grandes du niveau de la résistance générale.

  8. 8.

    L'origine segmentaire au moins de quelques régions de résistance basse était précisée par la présence fréquente evidemment due à des bandes dermatomes.

  9. 9.

    La relation des modèles de la résistance dermique électrique mesurés par nous aux variations régionales d'irritabilité des voies autonomes est brièvement discutée.

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Author notes

  1. Irvin M. Korr

    Present address: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery, Kirksville, Missouri, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery, Kirksville, Missouri, USA

    Price E. Thomas & Harry M. Wright

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Additional information

With 9 Figures

These investigations were supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service (B-29 and H-1632), and from the American Osteopathic Association, and by a contract (Nonr 243[00]) with the Office of Naval Research.

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Korr, I.M., Thomas, P.E. & Wright, H.M. Patterns of electrical skin resistance in man. Acta Neurovegetativa 17, 77–96 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01234166

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