Open AccessIs There a Characteristic Autonomic Response During Outbursts of Combative Behavior in Dementia Patients?
Author(s) -
Curtis K. Deutsch,
Pooja P. Patnaik,
F. Anthony Greco
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of alzheimer's disease reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2542-4823
DOI - 10.3233/adr-210007
Subject(s) - skin conductance , dementia , heart rate variability , heart rate , medicine , autonomic nervous system , psychology , conductance , neuroscience , audiology , cardiology , blood pressure , physics , disease , biomedical engineering , condensed matter physics
We sought to determine whether skin conductance level could warn of outbursts of combative behavior in dementia patients by using a wristband device. Two outbursts were captured and are reported here. Although no physiologic parameter measured by the wristband gave advance warning, there is a common pattern of parasympathetic withdrawal (increased heart rate) followed approximately 30 seconds later by sympathetic activation (increased skin conductance). In the literature, a similar pattern occurs in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. We hypothesize that similar autonomic responses reflect similarities in pathophysiology and that physical activity may partially account for the time course of skin conductance.