SYMPATHETIC SKIN-RESPONSE - NORMAL VALUES IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS

The sympathetic skin response, known also as Galvanic skin reflex, is a skin potential arising from synchronised activation of eccrine sweat glands as a response to sensory stimulation. The sympathetic skin res ponse was studied in 63 normal subjects (24 female and 39 male), aged 21 to 80 (51.2 +/- 18.3) years without any signs of neurological disea se. Recordings were made bilaterally from the palm of the hands and th e sole of the feet after an electrical stimulus and a tone stimulus. T he differences between the normal values of the electrical and the ton e stimulus are not significant. The mean onset latency is 1.45 +/- 0.1 8 s (mean and SD) for hand responses, 2.13 +/- 0.31 s for foot respons e; the side-to-side-difference at the hand amount to 0.08 +/- 0.07 s, at the foot to 0.15 +/- 0.12 s. The amplitudes do not follow a normal distribution, the median and the lower limit is 1960 and 260 mu V resp ectively for hand responses. 1000 and 240 mu V for foot responses. The vegetative conduction velocity is 144 +/- 48 cm/s. A heating of the e xtremities did not increase the conduction velocity.