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Biomedical subjects

J M Martínez-Selva

Publications and source records attributed to J M Martínez-Selva.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Emotional response in patients with frontal brain damage: effects of affective valence and information content.

The authors investigated the role of the frontal lobes in the emotional response in 19 patients with brain damage and 23 control subjects. They studied the modulation of the startle blink reflex by affective pictures, and other autonomic responses. Patients showed a dissociation between the startle reflex and the affective valence ratings of the pictures, as a result of a low inhibition of the startle reflex by pleasant pictures. Pictures elicited lower skin conductance responses (SCRs) in patients than in controls, whereas the groups did not differ in the SCRs prompted by less significant acoustic stimuli. The findings point to the frontal lobe as a structure involved in the emotional response and in the physiological emotional arousal related to the complexity of the stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1993

Antihypertensive monotherapy and stress-induced changes in physiological activity.

The effects of two types of laboratory stressors, a structured interview and the cold pressor test, on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were studied in normotensive individuals (n = 16), unmedicated hypertensive patients (n = 12), and medicated hypertensive patients (n = 46). Fifteen patients were in the bisoprolol group, 16 patients were in the enalapril group, and 15 patients were in the nitrendipine group. Concurrent physiologic measures, finger pulse volume (FPV), electrodermal activity, and respiratory frequency (RF), were also used to evaluate the level of stress reached by the subjects during and after the tasks. No significant differences were evident between the different treatments in BP and other physiologic responses to stressors. Patients receiving bisoprolol maintained lower HR and systolic BP values, but these differences were not related to the reaction to the stressors. No significant differences were noted in diastolic BP (DBP) between the different groups. The highest physiologic responses were obtained during the structured interview. Antihypertensive monotherapy does not attenuate cardiovascular reactions induced by acute stress in controlled laboratory conditions. In laboratory studies of the relationships between stress and hypertension, it is important that social stressors be used and that physiologic rather than cardiovascular measures of stress be recorded.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Electrodermal activity in menstrual cycle phases: a comparison of within- and between-subjects designs.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) changes in menstrual cycle were studied in two experiments. In both experiments subjects were presented with 16 80-dB tones; 15 tones were 4 s, 1000 Hz, and the last one - change trial - was a 6-s, 3000-Hz tone. In Expt. 1, a within-subjects design was employed, and 15 women were studied throughout a complete menstrual cycle. No significant changes in EDA associated with menstrual cycle phases were found, but significant decreases in electrodermal responsiveness during experimental sessions in EDA parameters were observed. In Expt. 2, with a between-subjects design, 56 women were divided in menstrual (n = 10), follicular (n = 12), ovulatory (n = 14), luteal (n = 13) and premenstrual (n = 7) groups, according to the cycle phase in which the subject was at the time of recording. At the ovulatory phase there were significant increases in skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude, skin conductance level, SCR habituation rate, and SCR amplitude to stimulus change, in relation to menstrual, luteal, and premenstrual phases. The discrepancies in the EDA data coming from the two experiments may be explained by practice effects appearing in Expt. 1.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Electrodermal activity, hormonal levels and subjective experience during the menstrual cycle.

Changes in electrodermal activity and subjective experience were studied during the menstrual cycle. Sixty-two women, grouped into menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, luteal and premenstrual phases, were presented with 15, 4-s, 80-dB, 1000-Hz tones. Psychological states and psychosomatic symptoms were tested with Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a self-report questionnaire. Two estimation procedures of the hormonal phases were used: one based on the onset of menses and cycle length, and another on the basal body temperature. Subjects were grouped into low or high levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone. There were significant increases in nonspecific response frequency, skin conductance response magnitude, skin conductance level, and a decrease in habituation rate at the ovulatory phase in comparison with luteal and premenstrual phases. No changes between the cycle phases were found in subjective experience. High follicle-stimulating hormone levels were associated with slower habituation rates and low trait-anxiety. The relationship between arousal changes and subjective experience in menstrual cycle is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Sex differences and the asymmetry of specific and non-specific electrodermal responses.

Phasic electrodermal conductance responses were bilaterally recorded from 30 subjects (15 males and 15 females). After a 5-min adaptation period subjects were presented with two series of ten 80-dB tones each, with a 4-min rest period between the two series. Data from sinistrals, ambidextrous, and from subjects with familial sinistrality were excluded from statistical analysis. Males displayed more asymmetry between hands both in their non-specific and specific responses, with larger skin conductance responses on the left hand. Females showed a less marked asymmetry, with larger skin conductance responses on the right hand. Similar results were found in skin conductance levels. It was concluded that sex differences are an important variable in the study of electrodermal asymmetry.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sex differences and bilateral electrodermal activity: a replication.

The present study was aimed at replicating the results of a previous work on sex differences and electrodermal asymmetry from our laboratory (Román, et al. 1987). Skin conductance was bilaterally recorded in a sample of 44 dextral volunteers (22 males and 22 females) during a stimulus-free period, and the performance of two tasks (verbal and spatial). Subjects were grouped into two groups of right-hand and left-hand dominance in their electrodermal responses (EDRs) in accordance with their laterality coefficient scores at rest. During the tasks subjects appeared clearly differentiated by their lateralization in the magnitude and frequency of EDRs independently of gender: right-hand responders showed higher electrodermal activity on their right hand, while left-hand responders showed higher electrodermal activity on their left hand. Sex differences were not observed within each responsiveness pattern. The orientation of phasic electrodermal changes remained constant throughout the different conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Brain mechanisms involved in decision-making].

AIM: To review the studies on brain mechanisms in decision making within the framework of the somatic marker hypothesis, and based on experiments employing the Iowa Gambling Task. DEVELOPMENT: An overview of the somatic marker hypothesis is presented together with the review of the main results obtained from research in brain damaged patients, and normal subjects with functional neuroimaging studies, that have led to the identification of the neural structures involved in decision making in humans. CONCLUSIONS: The main region involved in decision making is the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, that integrates sensory, mnesic and emotional information relevant to the task. Other structures intervening in the various relevant processes in decision making are the amygdala (processing and encoding of the emotional signal and its association with contextual stimuli) and the cingulate cortex (process monitoring and response inhibition, especially in situations of uncertainty). The prefrontal dorsolateral cortex would also be involved through the necessary activation of the working memory in the decision making process, especially in the case of complex tasks.

Brain↗