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Autonomic Arousal in Normal, Alcoholic, and Brain‐Damaged Subjects as Measured by the Plethysmograph Response to Cold Pressor Stimulation
Author(s) -
Lovallo William,
Parsons Oscar A.,
Holloway Frank A.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1973.tb01101.x
Subject(s) - plethysmograph , cold pressor test , arousal , psychology , vasomotor , vasoconstriction , anesthesia , vasodilation , stimulation , vigilance (psychology) , audiology , medicine , blood pressure , heart rate , neuroscience
In order to study the role of central factors in controlling autonomic arousal, hospitalized control, brain‐damaged, and alcoholic patients were tested for responsivity to the cold pressor test. During the last 30 sec of a 1 min immersion, half of the S s were given a motor task consisting of 12 reaction time trials. The dependent variable was the cutaneous vasomotor response measured by a plethysmograph. Hospital controls showed strong rebound tendencies on recovery and well‐modulated responses during immersion. The brain‐damaged had plethysmograph responses which after immersion showed little or no tendency to recover. Alcoholics manifested intermediate tendencies. Hospital controls who received the motor task during immersion had a reduction in response whereas brain‐damaged S s in the same condition showed increased response. Also noted were two distinctly different plethysmograph response profiles to the cold pressor: vasodilation and vasoconstriction.