bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HEART RATE CONDITIONING IN THE CAT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES
Authors: Hein Peter L.
Published: February 2007

Twenty cats were classically conditioned using electric shock as the unconditional stimulus (US). A 1000 cps tone served as the reinforced conditional stimulus (CS+) and a 500 cps tone as the non‐reinforced conditional stimulus (CS–). The CS–US interval was 10 seconds. Data collected show a heart rate deceleration to the CS+ which is accompanied by a drop in blood pressure, respiratory apnea, a negative baseline shift of the galvanic skin potential (GSP), pupillary dilatation, a decrease of the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the muscles of the shocked foreleg, and a low voltage fast pattern of the electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of the sigmoid gyrus of the cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb. The heart rate deceleration is present after muscle paralysis with succinyl choline and it is blocked by atropine. It is presumed to be of vagal origin. Difference in CS+ and US responsivity is discussed.
CORRELATION OF SKIN POTENTIAL AND SKIN RESISTANCE MEASURES
Authors: Gaviria Bernardo , Coyne Lolafaye , Thetford Paul E.
Published: February 2007

Simultaneous measurements of skin potential (SP) and skin resistance (SR) obtained from 20 male and 20 female adult subjects during 2 sessions held 2 to 9 days apart were used in studying (1) the correlation of change measurements and prestimulus level in the two measures, and (2) the amount of correlation between SP and SR using both simple difference and residual change scores in which the regression of poststimulus values on initial level (prestimulus) has been controlled.

Correlations within Ss and correlations among Ss showed large individual variability, correlation differences between males and females, and high correlation between SP and SR change scores. Although the law of initial value (LIV) seemed to have little applicability to the measurement of electrodermal responses, the results underscored the need to control for contamination of change measures by initial level regardless of direction.
FEEDBACK TECHNIQUE FOR DEEP RELAXATION
Authors: Green Elmer E. , Walters E. Dale , Green Alyce M. , Murphy Gardner
Published: February 2007

Zero firing or single‐motor‐unit firing in large forearm muscle bundles was achieved in less than twenty minutes, in seven out of twenty‐one subjects, through the use of a feedback meter which showed the subject his own electromyographic tension level. Five of these seven subjects reported body‐image illusions.

The behavior of single motor units under these conditions indicates the existence of a reflex‐type neural oscillator in the striate neuromuscular domain, whose operation is gated or controlled from the central nervous system.

The electronic system needed to operate the feedback meter can be assembled from standard amplifiers but standard EMG Integrator (rectifier) couplers usually must be modified in order to detect single motor unit firing. The final system is considerably more sensitive than those commercially available.
HOME AND LABORATORY DREAMS COLLECTED UNDER UNIFORM SAMPLING CONDITIONS
Authors: Weisz Robert , Foulkes David
Published: February 2007

Twelve young‐adult males spent two nonconsecutive nights at the laboratory (L) and two at home (H), six in the order LHHL and six in the order HLLH. Dreams were collected under uniform sampling conditions in both settings: S was awakened by an alarm clock at 6:30 a.m. and reported any dreams he could remember into a tape recorder. Twenty dream reports were collected in the laboratory, and 18 at home. Dream reports were rated by two judges on the six dimensions isolated by Hauri et al.'s factor analysis of dream ratings. Results showed no significant differences between home and laboratory in percentage of recall, median dream word counts, and dream ratings for Vivid Fantasy, Unpleasantness, Active Participation, and Sex. Home dreams were judged to contain more Verbal Aggression (p < .02) and Physical Aggression (p < .08). It was concluded that, although impulse‐related content may be more likely to occur in home dreams than in laboratory dreams, the basic dream processes of imagination, distortion, dramatization, etc., are the same in both settings.
THE NEONATAL EVOKED HEART RATE RESPONSE AND THE LAW OF INITIAL VALUE
Authors: Hutt Corinne , Hutt S. J.
Published: February 2007

Two‐second long square wave tones at frequencies of 125 and 1000 Hz and 75 db sound pressure were presented to six newborn infants. Mean heart rates were computed for the 10 sec prior to and the 10 sec following stimulus onset, i.e. the prestimulus and stimulus heart rate values respectively. LIV was shown to operate strongly only in the case of the 125 Hz stimulus. Even for this stimulus, LIV depended upon the state of the infant, showing an appropriate negative correlation between prestimulus and stimulus values in regular sleep and quiet wakefulness but a slightly positive correlation in irregular sleep. In randomly selected control periods, the first 5 sec served as prestimulus values and the second 5 sec as stimulus values. Regression coefficients for these control periods did not differ significantly from those during which the stimulus was actually present. In view of the special conditions required for its demonstration, the generality of Wilder's “law” seems to be seriously questioned.
AN EVALUATION OF FOREARM BLOOD FLOW AS A PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURE
Authors: Mathews Andrew M. , Lader Malcolm H.
Published: February 2007

The usefulness of forearm blood flow (FBF) as a psychophysiological measure was investigated by comparing changes occurring during mental tasks in cardiovascular, sudomotor, and electromyographic measures. The measures were divided into those clearly physiologically independent and those physiologically related. ANOVA results showed that FBF, heart rate (HR), and skin conductance fluctuations (SCF) were equally reactive, and correlational analysis suggested that a close relationship existed between FBF, HR, and SCF, although correlations fell to near zero levels when intra‐individual correlations were calculated with between task variance extracted. For some experimental purposes HR response may be considered equivalent to FBF response. The relationship between EMG and FBF was more variable, and tends not to support the idea that FBF is an indirect measure of muscle activity. The reliability of FBF in normal subjects at rest was poor, although it improved when measured during a simple task, and is probably stable enough for most experimental purposes.
THE ORIENTING RESPONSE AS AN INDEX OF MASS COMMUNICATION EFFECT
Authors: Fletcher James E.
Published: February 2007

A study is described of the contribution of the electrodermal response to the measurement of broadcast communication effect. A 2 × 2 mixed between‐within groups design was employed. The within groups variable was radio commercial content, while the between groups variable was production style. Electrodermal measurements included average log conductance change, number of responses, and recovery half time. Comparison measures included retention test, interestingness scales, and semantic differentials. Only average log conductance change significantly discriminated stimuli on both between and within groups variables. An explanatory model incorporating Sokolov's notion of the neuronal model and the Deutsch and Deutsch model for attention is offered.
Direct‐Current Fluorescent Lighting for Experimental Chambers
Authors: Johnson J. B. , Murphree O. D.
Published: February 2007

A low‐interference and low‐heat build‐up fluorescent lighting system, powered by direct current, for use inside psychophysiologic experimental chambers is described. It has been used successfully for several months in experimentation involving high‐gain physiologic instrumentation.
Electrodermal Recovery Rate, Goal‐Orientation, and Aversion
Authors: Edelberg Robert
Published: February 2007

To distinguish between goal‐orientation and the attending activation as causes of acceleration of electrodermal recovery, 16 subjects were examined during task performance and during an activating, non‐task condition, cold pressor. Recovery limb time constants (tc) were significantly related to two activation measures, electrodermal frequency (EF) and skin conductance level (SCL). EF, SCL, and change in log conductance were similar for cold pressor and mirror tracing despite significant differences in tc values. Since, in addition, tc decreased with better performance and with increasing task complexity, goal‐orientation is considered the primary determinant of acceleration of recovery. There are characteristic individual differences in recovery rate which are relatively stable over 5 consecutive weeks. Rate constant, the reciprocal of tc, has more uniform variance and is preferred for parametric statistical analysis. A warning of shock introduced during a reaction time series caused slowing of recovery. This coupled with slow recovery during cold pressor suggests that enhanced electrodermal activity with retarded recovery may signal a defensive reaction.
Visual Sensitivity as a Function of Phase of Cardiac Cycle
Authors: Elliott Rogers , Graf Virgil
Published: February 2007

After preliminary threshold determination, each of 25 Ss was given 120 trials (24 blank, 96 signal) in a visual signal detection task, with signal presentation being recorded with S's EKG. There was no relationship between hit rate and phase of cardiac cycle whether assessed over four measured phases, or as the difference in hit rate for signals presented either in the P‐wave or the QRS complex. Implications for theory are discussed.
Race Differences and Experimenter Race Effect in Galvanic Skin Response
Authors: Fisher Leslie E. , Kotses Harry
Published: February 2007

The present study was designed to ascertain whether racial differences exist in the several components of the skin resistance response and to assess the importance of the role of the experimenter's race in determining the subject's responsiveness. Basal measures, GSR magnitude, and spontaneous GSR activity of 12 Negro and 12 Caucasian Ss were recorded by 2 Negro and 2 Caucasian experimental assistants matched for age, physical stature, and dress. Following a 15 min resting phase, all Ss received 14 1‐sec bursts of 75 dB white noise. Variable stimulus intervals were employed.

Significant subject‐race effects, but no experimenter‐race effects, were found for base level measures. Negro Ss evidenced significantly higher basal resistance levels. Conversely, experimenter‐race effects, but no subject‐race effects, were apparent in the GSR magnitude data. White Ss showed a significantly slower rate of response magnitude decrease over trials when paired with black Es. A significant decrease in spontaneous activity over time was observed for all Ss.
The Role of Awareness in Differential Conditioning
Authors: Ross Leonard E. , Nelson Michael N.
Published: February 2007

A view of the processes involved in single cue and differential skeletal conditioning is presented, and the implications for studies investigating the effects of awareness on autonomic conditioning are discussed. Skeletal conditioning studies are described which indicate that masking tasks can greatly reduce and in some cases largely eliminate differential responding, but not response acquisition per se. These effects occur even when Ss report the conditioning contingencies. The data thus suggest that Ss given masking tasks may be “functionally unaware’ during conditioning, with an attendant decrease in differential conditioning performance, even though they have knowledge of the conditioning contingencies as demonstrated by post‐experimental report.
CARDIVAR: The Statistical Analysis of Heart Rate Data
Authors: Wilson Ronald S.
Published: February 2007

Eleven statistical programs have been developed for use with heart rate data, and seven of the programs are illustrated in this paper. The programs make use of ANOVA and trend analysis to isolate the components of polyphasic response curves. The analysis can determine whether there are systematic changes over trials in the shape and phasing of the response curves, and whether there are significant differences between groups in the size of the trend components. The programs may be employed with other psychophysiological data having the same general properties as cardiac data.
Stimulus Intensity and Recency Contrasts and Orienting Response Strength
Authors: Edwards David C.
Published: February 2007

Several groups of 30 college students heard sequences of noise pulses. Skin conductance response (SCR) magnitudes revealed that intensity and recency effects remain effective during habituation trials. Habituation of the SCR magnitude occurred to stimuli that were presented in a pattern composed of two intensities and to stimuli in a pattern of two interstimulus intervals though the specific differential effects of level of intensity and of recency remained clearly evident. There appeared further an enhancement of response magnitude to intense stimuli (an apparent contrast effect) when they were presented in that pattern of two intensities and compared to response to suitable control sequences. After significant but not complete habituation occurred, a reduction in stimulus intensity or of interstimulus interval reduced SCR magnitude further. The findings were discussed as supplements to Sokolov's habituation theory.
Cephalic and Digital Vasomotor Orienting Responses: The Effect of Stimulus Intensity and Rise Time
Authors: Ostar Phyllis J. , Stern John A. , Figar Stefan
Published: February 2007

This study evaluated the effects of rise‐decay time and intensity (70dB; 90dB| of pure tones on cephalic and finger vascular responses. Cephalic dilation responses similar to those reported by Sokolov were obtained, as well as cephalic dilation response*, which were interpreted as attributable to startle. Cephalic constriction responses were observed at 90dB only and occurred more frequently for slow rise than for fast rise tunes which were conducive to the production of startle. The negative results with respect to (he cephalic vasomotor response, reported by most American investigators, can be rationalized from the results of the present study.
Electro‐cortical and Cardiac Rate Correlates of Psychophysical Judgment
Authors: Lang Peter J. , Gatchel Robert J. , Simons Robert F.
Published: February 2007

Nine undergraduate volunteers participated in a frequency discrimination task. They were asked to rank five different pure tones, presented individually, and report their judgment several seconds after each tone terminated. Tones generally ranked correctly in frequency yielded larger fast‐cortical potential* and evoked heart rate respoases. Stimuli which occasioned frequent errors prompted a specific, negative, slow cortical wave, which could be distinguished both from eye movement artifact, and the slow wave changes associated with orienting and anticipation. The physiological data were analyzed in ternvs ot'two conceptions of the cognitive processing involved in psychophysical judgments.
An Experimental Test of Assumptions Relating to the Use of Electromyographic Biofeedbatk as a General Relaxation Training Technique
Authors: Alexander A. Barney
Published: February 2007

Twenty‐eight normal adults participated in an experimental test of two assumptions underlying the use of electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback as a general relaxation training technique: (1) that trained EMG reduction in one muscle generalizes to untrained muscles; and (2) that subjective feelings of relaxation are related to EMG reduction. An experimental group received 5 sessions, during the middle 3 of which EMG biofeedback training was offered on the frontalis muscle. Throughout all sessions, EMG recordings were also taken from the forearm and lower leg, and ratings of subjective relaxation feelings were obtained at regular intervals. A control group, matched with the experimental group on baseline frontalis EMG, received 5 similar sessions without feedback. Employing a maximum p of .05, the results revealed no evidence of generalization of EMG reduction from the frontalis to the untrained sites, nor any tendency for successful frontalis EMG reduction to result in increased feelings of relaxation beyond what was obtainable from relaxing without the benefit of training. The results were interpreted as suggesting that EMG biofeedback cannot yet be accepted as a viable general relaxation training technique.
Alcohol State‐Dependency and Autonomic Reactivity
Authors: Crow Lowell T. , Ball Corbin
Published: February 2007

Fifty‐two college students were randomly assigned to alcohol (A) or no alcohol (S) treatment groups to provide the drug sequences: SS, SA, AS, and AA, in a training and a 24‐hr subsequent testing session. Alcohol by vodka mixed with a soft drink (soft drink alone as placebo) was given within a 1‐hr period preceding the particular session. Behavioral measures consisted of word association recall (WA), picture identification, (PI), and time and errors in the completion of a finger maze (MT, ME). Physiological measures of electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rate (HR), finger pulse volume (FPV), skin resistance (SR), and respiration rate were recorded throughout the training and testing sessions.

Behavioral state‐dependent effects were noted for both word association and picture identification tasks, but not for maze time or errors. State‐dependent effects were indicated for heart rate, finger pulse volume, and skin resistance. Multiple linear regression coefficients for WA and PI as dependent variables and HR, FPV, and SR as predictors were significant for WA for Ihe AS and SA groups combined, but not significant for the SS and AA groups combined. The results are discussed as they relate to arousal and drug stimulus hypotheses of state‐dependency.
Cardiovascular Function During Pre‐Avoidance, Avoidance, and Post‐Avoidance in Dogs
Authors: Lawler James E. , Obrist Paul A. , Lawler Kathleen A.
Published: February 2007

Four dugs, implanted with aortic blood flow probes and catheters, were trained to press a panel during signalled shock avoidance and switched to an hour of Sidman avoidance per day for a minimum of 10 days, Cardiovascular function (heart rate=HR; stroke volume=SV: blood pressure = BP; cardiac output = CO; total peripheral resistance =TPR; and maximum aortic (dp/dt) was determined during the hour preceding avoidance, during avoidance, and during a 10 min post‐avoidance period, Data from 4 dogs were analyzed. Two behaviorally reactive dogs showed elevated BP due to increased TPR during pre‐avoidance and increased CO during avoidance. Increases in SV. HR. and dp/dt, most pronounced at the beginning of avoidance, suggest a change in left ventricular function. Intercorrelations between HR and dp/dt revealed apparent influences of the Frank‐Starting mechanism during pre‐avoidance, and cardiac contractility during avoidance. The 2 remaining animals were less reactive and showed only some of the patterns consistently seen in the 2 more reactive dogs. The data were discussed in terms, of obtaining a model for early stages of human hypertension.
Respiratory Patterns as Predictors of Laughter
Authors: Svebak Sven
Published: February 2007

Earlier research on respiratory patterns indicates that they are sensitive to emotional processes. Abdominal and thoracic patterns were therefore used as predictors of laughter responses in 25 subjects participating in an entertainment situation. The abdominal respiratory body circumference changes (the abdominal amplitude) of the women predicted their laughter responses; the greater the abdominal amplitudes during the entertainment period, the more frequent and enduring were their laughter responses. No prediction was obtained by the respiratory patterns of men. The results suggest that respiratory patterns are sensitive indicators of laughter response habits in women only. The variability of tonus in the abdominal muscles was suggested to be of particular importance to the results, i. e. great variability yields frequent and enduring laughter responses in women.
Multivariate Visual Evoked Response Correlates of Intelligence
Authors: Plrry Nathan W. , McCoy Julia G. , Cunningham Walter R. , Falgout Janet C. , Street W. Jfanne
Published: February 2007

It was hypothesized that determination of The type and degree of the relationship between the multidimensional visual evoked response (VER) and intelligence would be enhanced using multiple VER measures. It was further assumed that any relationship found would have more empirical and conceptual utility, the more homogeneous the subject sample with respect to intellectual ability. A battery of abilities tests was administered to 98 5‐yr‐old children (50 girls, 48 boys: mean age. 67.16 mos; mean IQ, 119.5, SD), 9.6. VERs were recorded from three different scalp locations (left and right hemispheres and occipital midline) to three stimulus conditions (2/sec flashes. 2/sec pattern. 6/sec flashes). Seven specific factors derived from measures of the VERs (e.g. amplitude, latency. complexity, linearity) were then used as predictor variables to abilities variables in multivariate analyses. Significant multiple correlations were found between the VER variables and WPPPSI total IQ and WPPSI performance scaled score. Correlation to the WPPSI verbal scaled score was not significant. The relationship between VER and performance was further explored with canonical correlations, which were significant (R,=.50, p<.01).
Learned Helplessness, Depression, and Physiological Responding
Authors: Gatchel Robert J. , McKinney Mark E. , Koebernick Larry F.
Published: February 2007

The present study was designed to assess whether the physiological correlates of learned helplessness are similar to the physiological response patterns found in naturally occurring depression. One group of subjects was pretreated with a series of inescapable aversive tones, and the degree of impairment measured on a subsequent solvable anagram solution task. These subjects were compared to a group pretreated with escapable aversive tones, and a control group which passively listened to the tones without attempting to escape them. Half of the subjects in each group were depressed as measured on the Beck Depression Inventory; the other half were nondepressed. Results indicated that depressed‐control group subjects demonstrated impaired performance at solving anagrams relative to nondepressed‐control group subjects. Inescapable noise produced parallel deficits in nondepressed subjects, thus demonstrating a similarity of impairment in naturally occurring depression and laboratory‐induced learned helplessness. More importantly, findings indicated that learned helplessness was associated with less phasic skin conductance responding, while depression was associated with greater responding to uncontrollable aversive events. These data suggest that there may be different underlying deficits involved in depression and learned helplessness.
A Single‐Channel System for Recording Eye Movements
Authors: Wells David T. , Allen Richard P. , Wagman Althea M. I.
Published: February 2007

A single‐channel method of recording eye movements, using two active electrodes, is described. Illustrations are presented of its accuracy, efficiency, and degree of common‐mode rejection. The method appears to offer advantages in possible computer scoring of eye‐movement data, as well as improvements in speed and accuracy of hand‐scoring such data.
An Infra‐Red Photoplethysmograph Coupler
Authors: Spaiser L. H.
Published: February 2007

The use of miniature infra‐red transducers for plethysmography has proven superior to previous methods. This article describes a coupling circuit, specifically designed for the Beckman Type R polygraph but adaptable to any high gain differential input instrumentation recorder, which provides balancing and input termination suitable for these transducers.
Do Task and Sex Differences Influence the Visual Evoked Potential?
Authors: Beaumont Graham , Mayes Andrew
Published: February 2007

Visual evoked potentials were recorded from each hemisphere of both male and female subjects at a parietal and a central site while concurrent spatial or verbal mental tasks were performed. The data were analyzed by means of an automated procedure for peak identification and each component's latency and amplitude was submitted to analysis of variance. No convincing taskhemisphere interactions were found, although several components, particularly the later ones, showed either task or hemisphere related effects. At both sites, females showed greater amplitude of the N2 component for both hemispheres and both cognitive tasks. Sex differences also emerged on components P6 and N6 which were consistent with the idea that females show differential hemisphere involvement in spatial tasks.
Training and Transfer of Training Effects in EMG Biofeedback Assisted Muscular Relaxation
Authors: Alexander A. Barney , White Pamela Diane , Wallace Henry M.
Published: February 2007

Twenty‐two normal adults participated in an electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback experiment designed to test if the feedback stimulus is necessary in obtaining EMG reductions during typical laboratory procedures, and if prior training on one muscle facilitates the training of a second muscle. One group of subjects received forearm feedback training followed by frontalis training. A second group received training in the reverse order. Two control groups relaxed first on their own followed by either forearm or frontalis training. Attention was directed toward motivating control subjects to perform maximally during relaxation without feedback. Heart and respiration rates and skin conductance and temperature were also recorded. Both trained and untrained subjects produced significant EMG reductions but did not differ from each other; nor did a transfer of training effect emerge. No differences resulted between feedback and non‐feedback conditions for the other physiological measures or for changes in state anxiety. These data compromise somewhat the previous demonstrations of EMG biofeedback “learning,” and are unsupportive of EMG biofeedback as a general relaxation training technique.
Site Differences in Electrolyte Concentration Assessed by the Water Bottle Sweat Measure
Authors: Strahan Robert F. , Hill Michael K. , Mount Michael K.
Published: February 2007

Electrolyte concentration of sweat as a function of sampling site was assessed by the water bottle technique in 36 female and 36 male, right‐handed college students. Sweat samples were taken under resting conditions from the five finger tips and the palm of both hands. Electrolyte concentration was lower at the palm than at the fingers, among which concentrations were not appreciably different. There was no evidence of different electrolyte concentrations between matching sites on the left and right hands, nor were sex differences in concentration observed. Because the fingers seem to be similar in electrolyte concentration, they might be used interchangeably in group studies involving multiple water bottle sweat samplings.
Orienting Responses and Conditioning of Electrodermal Responses
Authors: Stern John A. , Walrath Larry C.
Published: February 2007

This paper reviews our continued concern with the identification of electrodermal response measures to which we are willing to accord the label conditioned, contingent or conditional. One restriction previously held, namely, that dealing with the learning curve associated with the development of conditional responses, has been discarded. We are now willing to accept the position that conditional responses may extinguish during conditioning and would like to attribute such “extinction with reinforcement” to the possibility that “temporary connexions” evolve during the conditioning process. We now conceive of two types of anticipatory responses (ARs): one, a specific response which should become temporally localized with respect to the UCS, and the second, an increase in nonspecific responses which occur at random points in time following CS and preceding UCS presentation. The OR to stimulus onset is a particularly difficult response with which to work, especially in the context of simple (opposed to discriminative) conditioning. This response appears to reflect conditioning via a marked retardation of habituation. Proper controls, against which to assess conditionability of this response, are difficult to specify. It is our contention that a wide variety of response (OR to stimulus complex onset and termination; ARs; UCRs; nonspecific responses during CS presentation; and intertrial interval nonspecific responses) can be affected by the conditioning process. Whether these responses should be given the label “conditioned” is a question which has, in our opinion, yet to be answered.
EEG Alpha Correlates of Non‐Smokers, Smokers, Smoking, and Smoking Deprivation
Authors: Knott Verner J. , Venables Peter H.
Published: February 2007

Computer analysis of tonic EEG alpha amplitude and dominant alpha frequency was employed to test the hypotheses that relative to non‐smokers, smokers deprived of cigarettes are in a state of cortical hypo‐excitation, and that smoking induces a state of excitation comparable to that of non‐smokers. Ten non‐smokers, 17 deprived smokers and 13 non‐deprived smokers were used to record alpha activity with a right occipital‐right ear placement before and after smoking two cigarettes. Analysis of pre‐smoking activity (employing a .05 rejection region) revealed a slower dominant alpha frequency in deprived smokers relative to non‐smokers and non‐deprived smokers. Smoking increased dominant alpha frequency in deprived smokers to a level comparable to non‐smokers and non‐deprived smokers. No significant results were obtained with alpha amplitude. The significance of increased alpha frequency is discussed both in relation to present results and comparable work on humans and animals, and a suggestion is forwarded regarding smoking‐induced specific excitation (attention) and the maintenance of smoking behavior.
Impedance Cardiography
Authors: Miller J. C. , Horvath S. M.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this review was to integrate recent evidence supporting the reliability of thoracic impedance plethysmography as an estimator of cardiodynamic function. Reports regarding the development of the method for NASA, and numerous investigations comparing impedance cardiography to indicator dilution and other methods were discussed. It was concluded that impedance cardiography provides a reliable intra‐subject estimation of relative changes in stroke volume and cardiac output. However, the reliability of the technique was found to depend greatly upon its use within a limited range of applications. Myocardial contractility and cardiopathology were also considered.
Salivation: The Significance of Imagery in Its Voluntary Control
Authors: White K. D.
Published: February 2007

In a series of experiments, with over 100 subjects ranging in age from 14 to 43, issues in the control of salivation were examined. Using the sublingual cotton swab technique it was shown that salivation can be controlled by practitioners and non‐practitioners of transcendental meditation. Sex differences were unimportant; the use of specific imagery relating to food and anxiety aided control, and there was a highly significant relationship between the degree of self‐reported imagery vividness and the ability to increase and decrease salivation. Results were discussed in terms of the Pavlovian notion of signalling systems, and the suggestion was made that self‐generated imagery could be important for the control, and in the conditioning, of other autonomic effectors.
The REM Cycle in Altered Sleep/Wake Schedules
Authors: Moses J. , Naitoh P. , Johnson L. C.
Published: February 2007

The length and rhythmicity of the REM cycle was studied using data from three laboratories. In the three studies, 25 subjects obtained their sleep in naps under three different sleep/wake schedules: 60/160 min (N =8), 30/60 min (N =10), and 60/120 min (N =7), over a period of 40 hrs to 10 days. Previous results from these subjects (Moses, Lubin, Johnson, & Naitoh, 1977) indicated that the REM cycle is sleep‐dependent, rather than an expression of an ongoing Basic Rest‐Activity Cycle (BRAC). As a further test of the sleep‐dependent hypothesis, autocorrelation and r2 analysis was applied to the compressed sleep (i.e., all wake time between and within sleep periods subtracted) of the baseline, nap, and recovery conditions. Compared to baseline, there were no significant differences in nap REM cycle length in the 60/160 and 60/120 groups; the 30/60 group had significantly shorter cycles. It appeared that this REM cycle shortening was due to the significantly shorter REM episodes in this group. The nap r2 values were significantly lower than baseline in the 30/60 and 60/120 groups, indicating increased variability in the timing of REM episodes during naps. All the nap r2 values, however, were significantly larger than those obtained from a random distribution of sleep stages.

To further examine the effects of the degree of sleep fragmentation on REM cycle rhythmicity, two additional groups of subjects whose sleep was fragmented by either REM or SWS deprivation were compared to the nap groups. REM deprivation was the most disruptive of REM cycle rhythmicity; the r2 values for REM deprivation were significantly less than those for napping or SWS deprivation.

These data offer further support that the REM cycle is a sleep‐dependent rhythm and is not an expression of an ongoing BRAC.
Cortical and Autonomic Arousal in Primary and Secondary Psychopaths
Authors: Blackburn Ronald
Published: February 2007

Abnormal offenders were classified as primary or secondary psychopaths, or as conforming or inhibited nonpsychopaths by means of empirically derived dimensions of psychopathy and social withdrawal. Measures of electrocortical, electrodermal, and cardiovascular activity were taken during rest, during repeated auditory stimulation, and during the cold pressor test. Psychopaths were not significantly differentiated from nonpsychopaths, but several differences were found between primary and secondary psychopaths. Primary psychopaths were more aroused cortically and electrodermally, and showed less rapid adaptation and habituation. Secondary psychopaths were the least aroused and showed signs of increasing drowsiness with repetitive stimulation. Secondary psychopaths in this study performed like primary or undifferentiated psychopaths in other reports, and possible explanations are discussed. The high arousal of primary psychopaths is not consistent with current theories of psychopathy, and attention to the relationship between psychopathy and the labelling of arousal is suggested.
Similarities and Differences Among the P3 Waves to Detected Signals in Three Modalities
Authors: Snyder Elaine , Hillyard Steven A. , Galambos Robert
Published: February 2007

Event‐related brain potentials were recorded from the scalp while subjects detected visual, auditory, and somatosensory stimuli presented near threshold. The waveforms were characterized by large, late‐positive (P3) waves to signal detections in all three modalities. The scalp distributions of these P3s revealed no substantial differences among the three modalities. There were, however, reliable latency and amplitude differences, with the P3 to visual signals occurring later than to somatic (Study 1) or to auditory (Study 2) signals. Further, the P3s to detected visual signals were substantially larger than those to auditory or somatosensory signals. Taken together, the data suggest that P3 waves to all modalities arise from a common neural generating system but that visual signals access this system in a different fashion from the other modalities.
Pulse Transit Time in the Analysis of Autonomic Nervous System Effects on the Cardiovascular System
Authors: Weiss Theodore , Del Bo Alberto , Reichek Nathaniel , Engelman Karl
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this study was the development of a simple method for assessing autonomic nervous system (ANS) effects on the cardiovascular system. Pulse transit time (PTT) is the interval between ventricular electrical activity and the peripheral appearance of the pulse (here measured by ear densitography). Six normal subjects were studied with six drugs which either enhanced or blocked activity of one of the three major divisions of the ANS: parasympathetic, beta‐sympathetic, alpha‐sympathetic. Data analysis revealed characteristic patterns of change in PTT and heart rate (HR) which permitted differentiation of five of the six drugs' effects. Vagal enhancement (edrophonium) and alpha‐sympathetic enhancement (phenylephrine)—which reflexly also increases vagal tone to the heart—could not be distinguished from one another unless blood pressure also was monitored. Monitoring of PTT and HR offers a simple, non‐invasive method which can be used on‐line to evaluate ANS effects on the cardiovascular system.
Cognitive Modulation of Time‐Dependent Primary Bradycardia
Authors: Lacey Beatrice C. , Lacey John I.
Published: February 2007

In one experiment, 60 male college students counted silently the number of rarely presented tones embedded in a sequence of “standard” tones. The tones differed by 50 Hz. Both rare and standard tones produced a primary bradycardia which exhibited time‐dependency: Stimuli which happened to fall relatively early in the cardiac cycle prolonged the duration of that very cycle more than late‐occurring stimuli. The latter slowed the subsequent cardiac cycle. These effects are identical qualitatively with those found in acute animal experiments upon direct electrical stimulation of the vagus, and they verified and extended results from previous experiments with human subjects in response to other sensorimotor events. The effects of expectancy, evaluated by serial positional effects on the magnitude and slope of time‐dependent cardiac slowing, were different for standard and for rare tones. Comparisons with P300, the late positive component of the average evoked potential, suggest that while P300 is most strongly associated with poststimulus decisional processes, primary bradycardia and its time‐dependent aspects reflect both early stimulus registration and later decision making. The results suggest limbic and neocortical modulation of primary bradycardia. In a second experiment with 20 male college students, in which tones were presented at experimentally controlled times within the cardiac cycle, the basic effects obtained with post hoc separation of tones into relative cycle time of occurrence were verified.
EMG Measurement as a Function of Electrode Placement and Level of EMG
Authors: Williamson Donald A. , Epstein Leonard H. , Lombardo Thomas W.
Published: February 2007

Frontal EMG was concurrently measured using two different electrode placements for each of 12 subjects. One electrode placement was the standard placement of one electrode above each eyebrow (referred to as the horizontal placement). For the other placement, electrodes were positioned vertically above only the left eyebrow (referred to as the vertical placement). Comparisons between the measures of EMG using the two placements were assessed for three different levels of biofeedback‐influenced EMG activity.

The horizontal and vertical EMG measures were found to be positively correlated both for the entire group and for individual subjects. Also, the two measures of EMG were positively correlated at three different levels of EMG, i.e., high, medium, and low. Comparisons of horizontal and vertical EMG indicated that horizontal EMG was consistently higher than vertical EMG at all levels of EMG. These findings suggest that placement of EMG electrodes is a very important variable in accurately measuring the magnitude of muscular electrical activity. However, if repeated measures of EMG are used to evaluate changes in muscle tension, and electrode placement is consistent across conditions, electrode placement is of only marginal importance.
EEG Landscapes: An Application of Computer Cartography
Authors: Coupland Stuart G. , Taylor Margo J. , Koopman Raymond F.
Published: February 2007

Two three‐dimensional computer mapping programs were utilized for the display of EEG data from two studies. Advantages of these forms of data presentation include the ease with which the data can be meaningfully condensed for inspection of changes across trials. In addition, the uses of perspective cues for feature detection and latency determination are demonstrated.
Electrocortical Signs of Levels of Processing: Perceptual Analysis and Recognition Memory
Authors: Sanquist Thomas F. , Rohrbaugh John W. , Syndulko Karl , Lindsley Donald B.
Published: February 2007

The electrocortical manifestations of levels of perceptual processing and memory performance were investigated by recording event related potentials (ERPs) during a verbal comparison task and a subsequent test of recognition memory. Two words were judged, on each trial, to be the same or different according to an orthographic, phonemic, or semantic criterion. Orthographic processing of words led to poor performance on a test of recognition memory whereas phonemic and semantic processing led to increasingly better performance. “Same” judgments led to better memory performance for phonemically and semantically processed items. The ERP waveforms included a late positive component (LPC) and a slow wave, both of which were responsive to the comparison criterion and the type of judgment. Further, the LPC appeared to index recognition accuracy in the memory test. The ERP data are interpreted as reflecting associative activation in the human memory system.
Two Procedures for Training Cardiac Discrimination: A Comparison of Solution Strategies and Their Relationship to Heart Rate Control
Authors: Ross Alvin , Brener Jasper
Published: February 2007

Twenty subjects were trained to detect cardiac activity on two superficially similar discrimination procedures. One group was first trained (to a criterion of 80% correct discriminations) to distinguish between tones that were either contingent or independent of their heart beats and then to distinguish between tones that followed each heart beat with either a short delay or a long delay. The other group was trained on the two procedures in the reverse order. Discrimination strategies were assessed by physiological recordings and questionnaires. No transfer of training was found between the two procedures. Furthermore subjects tended to adopt either an “active” or a “passive” solution strategy depending upon the procedure to which they were first submitted. Subjects who adopted an active discrimination strategy displayed significantly greater voluntary heart rate increases in a post‐discrimination test of heart rate control than did subjects who adopted a passive discrimination strategy.
The Symmetry of Emotional and Deliberate Facial Actions
Authors: Ekman Paul , Hager Joseph C. , Friesen Wallace V.
Published: February 2007

Asymmetries of the smiling facial movement were more frequent in deliberate imitations than spontaneous emotional expressions. When asymmetries did occur they were usually stronger on the left side of the face if the smile was deliberate. Asymmetrical emotional expressions, however, were about equally divided between those stronger on the left side of the face and those stronger on the right. Similar findings were obtained for the actions involved in negative emotions, but a small data base made these results tentative.
Relationships ol Pulse Transmission Times to Pre‐ejection Period and Blood Pressure
Authors: Newlin David B.
Published: February 2007

This research addressed the question of whether pulse transmission time to the ear (E‐PTT) serves as a satisfactory estimate of pre‐ejcction period (PEP) and whether the intracardiac or arterial components of pulse transmission times are correlated with hlood pressure. A median correlation of .86 was found for within‐suhject correlations between E‐PTT and PEP, and a correlation of .97 was found on trial means across subjects. Pulse transmission times to the ear and finger (measured from the Q‐wave) were substantially correlated with systolic but not diastolic blood pressure. PEP, the intracardiac component of pulse transmission time, was moderately correlated with systolic blood pressure, but the arterial components were not. It was concluded that E‐PIT estimates PEP in within‐subject comparisons, and that the association of the pulse transmission times with systolic blood pressure is by virtue of the fact that these intervals encompass PEP rather than the arterial components. It was further concluded that pulse transmission times more directly reflect sympathetic cardiac influences than they do blood pressure.
A Dose‐Response and Time‐Action Analysis of Autonomic and Behavioral Effects of Methylphenidate in Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Authors: Solanto Mary V. , Conners C. Keith
Published: February 2007

Empirical attempts to correlate behavioral and physiological responses of hyperactive children to methylphenidate treatment have been complicated by methodological issues, including the demonstrated heterogeneity in the pool of hyperactive children, and the need to consider both dose‐response and timeaction parameters of drug action. Ten hyperactive children, selected according to objective behavioral criteria, were each assessed in 3 placebo days and 3 drug treatment days varying in methylphenidate dosage. Heart rate, finger temperature, electrodermal variables, gross motor activity, serial reaction time (as a measure of attention), and impulsive errors of commission were measured before and at varying intervals following drug or placebo administration. Time‐action curves of methylphenidate's effects on reaction time and on activity were dissimilar, with changes in reaction time more closely paralleling changes in the cardiovascular variables. These findings suggested that attentional deficit and inadequate motor inhibition represent divergent behavioral manifestations of hyperactivity, possibly corresponding to divergent neurophysiological substrates.
Somatosensory Evoked Potential Changes With a Selective Attention Task
Authors: Josiassen Richard C. , Shagass Charles , Roemer Richard A. , Ercegovac Dragoslav V. , Straumanis John J.
Published: February 2007

Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) changes associated with selective attention were investigated. In 16 subjects, SEPs were recorded from five locations while they counted electrical stimuli to one of four randomly stimulated fingers. Sequential SEP events measured included peaks P30 (positivity at 30 msec). P45, N60, P100. N140. P190. N230, P400. Counting was associated with greater P45, P100. P190, N230, and P400 amplitudes; effects were not attributable to eye or tongue activity. Analyses designed to reveal changes associated with two conceptualized “channels” (finger class, hand) showed that the P45, P100, and P190 amplitude increases involved both channels. The P400 effect was limited to the target finger. Channel effects for N60 and N140 amplitudes resulted from decreases localized to the unattended element of one channel, suggesting “inhibition.” Latency effects involved mainly the hand channel; counted hand latencies were shorter for P30, P45, P100 and P190. The findings indicate modifications of both early and late electrocortical events with selective attention, and that changes can be of several kinds. They support the view that attention proceeds in more than one stage.