Gender Variations in Electrodermal Activity among Medical Students in Response to Cold Pressor Test
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/ijop.v7i1.283Keywords:
Electrodermal activity, galvanic skin response, sympathetic, parasympathetic.Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate & compare the electrodermal activity(EDA) among males and females in response to cold pressor test. Thus know the differences in autonomic functions in males & females.
Materials & Method
In this experimental study Galvanic skin response(GSR) was the parameter measured for EDA. The sample size of our study was 70 MBBS students (35 males & 35 females)
Cold pressor test was performed by immersing hand in cold water (temp 4°C to 6°C) &changes in electrodermal activity(GSR) was recorded by using Biochart (version 1.0) device in our research lab.
Results
There was a significant increase in GSR after immersion of hand in cold water both in males and females. The baseline GSR value, GSR after immersion in cold water & the recovery GSR value were significantly higher in males compared to females.
Conclusion
There is substantial evidence of gender difference in the functioning of the autonomic system, including specific effects of both male & female sex hormones. As a generalisation, at least in humans there is a preponderance of sympathetic mediated responses in males and of parasympathetic in females.
Our data show that EDA(GSR) is such a simple and non invasive method that can be used reliably to measure the autonomic nervous system functions i.e., the sympathetic over activity during cold induced acute pain.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright Ownership: Authors retain copyright ownership of their work after publication in IJOP. However, they grant the journal an exclusive Creative Commons license.
Creative Commons License: The authors grant IJOP the right to exclusively apply a Creative Commons license to their work upon publication. This license permits use, distribution, and reproduction of the work in any medium, provided that the original work and its source are properly cited. The specific license applied is Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which allows for attribution, non-commercial use, and derivative works.
Editorial Research: Authors grant the journal the right to analyze information obtained from submitted manuscripts for editorial research purposes. This analysis aims to improve the peer-review process, teaching, and training activities.
Warranties: Authors warrant that their work is original, contains no libelous statements, is lawful, and does not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, patent, or proprietary rights of others. Authors agree to indemnify the editors against any costs, expenses, and damages arising from any breach of this warranty.
Views and Opinions: The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the journal.