Diagnosis of stress and sympathetic activation by parameters of skin conductance: the current state of the method, fields of application and prospects in medicine

Abstract

The article provides a justification for the importance of objectification of stressful conditions in medical institutions. It is noted that in comparison with other biosignals, skin conductance as a form of electrodermal activity (EDA), is a simpler, more accessible, and suitable method for routine practice to assess the state of the sympathetic nervous system, the activation of which plays a leading role in stress. In accordance with the stated goal of studying modern techniques that use EDA signals to understand their capabilities in the diagnosis and correction of stress and other conditions in medicine, the article presents data on literary sources indicating a steadily growing interest in the ED ED method at the present time; describes the physiological mechanisms of formation of EDA signals and ways to measure them, types of electrodes and places of their superposition, types of signal processing, dependence of EDA indicators on environmental factors and individual characteristics; areas and prospects of application in medicine, indicating the high accuracy of the method for determining stress conditions, features of emotional disorders and pain, the possibility of monitoring the condition of patients with epilepsy, severe somatic diseases and in the postoperative period. In conclusion, a description of modern domestic studies using a Stress monitoring System based on EDA registration is given to monitor stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation and the effectiveness of anesthesia after cesarean section, confirming that taking into account EDA indicators can significantly optimize the diagnosis of stress conditions, emotional pathology and pain.