The electrodermogram (Tarchanoff effect) during sleep

The electrodermal response (Tarchanoff effect) was studied during sleep. 1. 1. Spontaneous EDRs were usually rare during wakefulness but, even if frequent, did not undergo striking changes during falling asleep. They increased in number with passage to stage IV. During stage II they were isolated or related to K complexes and, occasionally to the presence of generalized myoclonic jerks. During stage III and IV they frequently became virtually continuous. In stage I rem, however, they were infrequent and were either isolated or associated with bursts of rapid eye movements (REMs) and any of: partial myoclonic jerks, tachycardia or respiratory changes. 2. 2. EDRs could be elicited by various stimuli in all stages, always with a 1–4 sec latency. In stage II, III and IV the threshold was lowered, whereas in stage I rem it was quite high. In stage II, successful stimuli provoked a K complex before the EDR and rarely, a startle response. In stages III and IV the EEG changes were usually less marked whereas other autonomic reactivity persisted. EDRs provoked in stage I rem were sometimes associated with EEG changes (e.g., blocking of “saw-toothed” waves or a burst of posterior alpha activity) but not with partial jerks or REMs. 3. 3. Topographically, the EDR in all phases was seen to diffuse from the head caudally down the body axis and peripherally along the limbs, where conduction occurred at approximately 1 m/sec. In stage I rem apparently randomly distributed EDRs were occasionally recorded. 4. 4. In further studies EDRs were noted with various episodic sleep phenomena (enuresis nocturna, somnambulism, etc), certain abnormal movements, focal epileptic temporal lobe discharges, generalized or hemigeneralized epileptic discharges, and tonic epileptic seizures, even when reduced to their minimal expression. 5. 5. Prefrontal bilateral lobotomy, hemispherectomy, or congenital agenesis of the corpus callosum did not influence the evolution of the EDG. Congenital analgesia was associated with difficulty in provoking EDRs by painful stimuli. 6. 6. The apparent neurophysiological basis and certain psychological correlations are discussed. La réponse électrodermale ou RED (effet de Tarchanoff) a été étudiée pendant le sommeil. 1. 1. Les REDs spontanées étaient généralement rares pendant l'état de veille, mais lorsqu'elles étaient fréquentes, elles ne subissaient pas de changements notables pendant l'endormissement. Leur nombre augmentait lors du passage en phase IV. Pe