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The effect of temporal lobe surgery on electrodermal activity: implications for an organic hypothesis in the aetiology of schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

B. K. Toone ,
E. Cooke  and
M. H. Lader
B. K. Toone*
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
E. Cooke
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
M. H. Lader
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr B. K. Toone, The Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ.
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Synopsis

It has recently been suggested that the bilateral asymmetry of electrodermal activity (EDA) reported in schizophrenia may be related to unilateral temporal lobe dysfunction. To test this hypothesis, 3 aspects of EDA – skin conductance level (SCL), number of spontaneous fluctuations (SF), and skin conductance response (SCR) – were measured bilaterally in 10 patients who had undergone unilateral temporal lobectomy. No differences could be detected between the operated and non-operated sides within the patient group, nor between the patient and control groups. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , May 1979 , pp. 281 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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