Electrodermal activity in the affective disorders and schizophrenia

Electrodermal activity was measured bilaterally at rest and during stimulation in 22 schizophrenic, 11 depressed and 12 anxiety state patients, and in 32 normal volunteers. No group showed a distinctive pattern of lateral asymmetry. The frequency of spontaneous fluctuation in electrodermal activity was greater in the anxiety state and schizophrenic groups and in those patients who reported auditory hallucination during recording. Few schizophrenic subjects failed to respond to visual stimulation but substantial minority failed to habituate. The implications of these findings are discussed.