• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2001

Objectives: This study examined the effect of mood and personality characteristics on psychophysiological responses measured by a biofeedback system in a normal population. Methods: Fifty healthy volunteers without any history of medical or psychiatric illnesses participated in this study. We measured the Spielberger trait anxiety inventory, Beck depression inventory, and Eysenck personality questionnaires in these subjects. Using the J & J biofeedback system, we also measured skin temperature, electrodermal response, forearm and frontal electromyography (EMG)s in 3 experimental conditions of baseline, stress, and recovery phases. Results: Trait anxiety did not show any significant correlation with psychophysiological responses except stress response in forearm EMG levels(r=0.282, p<0.05). Depressed mood was negatively correlated with forearm EMG levels in baseline (r=-0.299, p<0.05) and recovery phases(r=-0.314, p<0.05). Subjects with relatively high levels of depressed mood showed different stress and recovery responses in frontal EMG levels compared with those with relatively low levels of depressed mood (F=4.26, p<0.05). Extroverted subjects showed higher levels of forearm EMG than introverted ones in stress phase. Conclusion: Mood and personality characteristics in healthy subjects are closely related with psychophysiological responses measured by a biofeedback system. We suggest that mood and personality characteristics should be considered as important variables in analyzing abnormal psychophysiological responses in some psychiatric patients.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2001

Objectives: An Increased level of psychophysiologic arousal and diminished physiologic flexibility would be observed in patients with panic disorder compared with a normal control group. We investigated the differences of psychophysiologic response between patients with panic disorder and normal control to examine this hypothesis. Methods: Ten Korean patients with panic disorder who met the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV were compared with 10 normal healthy subjects. In psychological assessment, levels of anxiety and depression were evaluated by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck's Depression Inventory and Hamilton Rating Scale For Anxiety and Depression. Heart rate, respiration rate, electrodermal response, and electromyographic activity were measured by biofeedback system (J & J I-330 model) to determine psychophysiologic responses on autonomic nervous system. Stressful tasks included mental arithmetic, video game, hyperventilation, and talking about a stressful event. Psychophysiologic responses were measured according to the following procedures : baseline(3 min)-mental arithmetic (3 min)-rest (3 min)-video game (3 min)-rest (3 min)-hyperventilation (3 min)-rest (3 min)-talking about a stressful event (3 min). Results: The baseline level of anxiety and depression, electrodermal response (p=.017), electromyographic activity (p=.047) and heart rate (p=.049) of patients with panic disorder were significantly higher than those of the normal subject group. In electrodermal response, patient group had significantly higher startle response than the control group during hyperventilation (p=.001). Startle and recovery responses of heart rate in the patient group were significantly lower than responses in the control group during mental arithmetic (p=.007, p=.002). In electrodermal response of the patient group, startle response was significantly higher than recovery response during mental arithmetic (p=.000) and video game task (p=.021). Recovery response was significantly higher than startle response in respiratory response during hyperventilation. Conclusion: The results showed that patients with panic disorder had higher autonomic arousal than the control group, but the physiologic flexibility was variable. We suggest that it is helpful for treatment of panic disorder to decrease the level of autonomic arousal and to recover the physiologic flexibility in certain stressful event.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2011

Objective : The aim of this study was to provide the method to measure physiologic response using equipments and auditory stimulation, and the physiologic response features of adult psychiatric disorders through a systemic review. Methods : The systemic review was executed using PubMed. The key words for search were "auditory stimulation, auditory startle, electromyograph, skin conductance, heart rate, psychiatric disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, depression". 8 studies were used for data analysis, and all of levels of evidence were level II. The substances of the review were subject(population), auditory stimulation, measure equipments and physiologic response features of psychiatric disorder. Results : 1. The subjects for the studies were anxiety disorder(4) and schizophrenia(4). 2. Auditory stimulation was used in 8 studies and visual stimulation with auditory stimulation was used in 2 studies to induce physiologic response. 3. Every study used electromyograph, and skin conductance was used in 2 studies and heart rate was used in 2 studies with electromyograph to measure physiologic response. 4. The subjects for the studies, schizophrenia and anxiety disorder(PTSD, OCD) have different physiologic response features with the normal control group. Conclusion : All studies used simple tones as an auditory stimulation and electromyograph to measure physiologic response. Psychiatric disorders indicated larger response, shorter and delayed habituation. The objective and systematic study using physiologic measure to investigate the sensory feature of psychologic disorders.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2001

Objectives: The experience of traffic accident is a kind of the psychosocial stressors to person. The traffic accident-related patients may show the psychophysiologic hyperarousal. So we examined the differences of psychophysiologic response between patients with and without the memory of experienceing a traffic accident. Methods: Twenty-four traffic accident-related patients were divided into two groups according to ther memory of a traffic accident. In psychological assessment, levels of anxiety and depression were evaluated by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck's Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Rating Scales For Anxiety and Depression. Heart rate, electrodermal response (EDR), and electromyographic activity (EMG) were measured by biofeedback system, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure by automated vital sign monitor during baseline, task, and rest periods. We utilized script-driven imagery technique as a stressful task. The patients listened to the script describing their own traffic accident experience and were instructed to imagine the event during the task period. Statistically analytic data were obtained from the differences of psychological and psychophysiologic data between two groups. Results: The memory group did not show significantly higher EDR than the none memory group, but showed higher tendency during baseline, imagery, and rest periods. The memory group showed significantly lower EMG than the none memory group during rest period. However, there were no differences in other psychophysiologic reponses between the two groups. Conclusion: Our results showed that the memory group had higher tendency in autonomic arousal level such as electrodermal response than the none memory group. We suggest that physicians need to minimize repetitive imagery of traffic accident (reexperience), and decrease the autonomic hyperarousal in the treatment of traffic accident-related patients.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2000

Objectives: This study was performed to examine the characteristic cardiovascular response patterns associated with the imagination and discussion of anger-provoked events in patients with hwa-byung. Methods: Forty-three female patients with hwa-byung were evaluated with the Korean version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression just before the task. Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) and Vividness of the event (VIVID) during the imagination and discussion of the event were evaluated immediately after tasks. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) during baseline, rest, and tasks were also evaluated. Results: Both startle and recovery responses of BP, startle response of HR, SUDS, and VIVID in discussion task were significantly larger than in the imagination task. Conclusion: Results suggest that it is undesirable for the patients to excessively and repeatedly recall and talk about the anger events.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 1997

Objectives: The psychophysiologic response pattern between healthy subjects and patients with generalized anxiety disorder, and the relationship among anxiety rating scales and those patterns in patients were examined. Methods: Twenty-three patients with generalized anxiety disorder(AD) and 23 healthy subjects were evaluated by Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety(HRSA) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory before baseline stressful tasks. Subjective Units of Distress were evaluated just before baseline period, immediately after stressful tasks, at the end of the entire procedure, and psychophysiologic measures, i.e., skin temperature(ST), electromyographic activity(EMG), heart rate(HR), electrodermal response(EDR) during baseline & rest and during two psychologically stressful tasks (mental arithmetic, TM; talk about a stressful event, TT) were also evaluated. Results: 1) AD group showed significantly higher EMG level during rest after stressful tasks and higher HR level during all period except TM compared to control group. 2) AD group showed lower change in the startle response(SR) of ST, in the SR & the recovery response(RR) of EMG during TM, and in the RR of EDR immediately after TM than control group. AD group showed that the RR of EDR was significantly lower than the SR during stressful tasks. 3) We found that there was significantly negative correlation between state anxiety and the RR of EDR after TT in AD group. We also found that there were significantly positive correlations between HRSA score and the SRs of EDR during stressful tasks, and between state anxiety and the SR of EDR during TT. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with generalized anxiety disorder show higher autonomic arousal than healthy subjects and decreased physiologic flexibility or reduced autonomic flexibility.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 2001

The relaxation response is a state of profound rest, creates physiological responses directly opposite to the stress response. The relaxation response can be used to counteract the harmful effects of stress. The relaxation response can be elicited by a number of techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, biofeedback, etc. These relaxation methods in any mental or physical conditions associated with distress and even in normal people have useful benefits for stress control and health enhancement. These relaxation techniques are but one part of a comprehensive stress management program, through regular and continuous practice appropriate for each person, they will make an effective role in stress management. In this review, author reviewed how to practically use meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and autogenic training, in more detail. In the treatment of various stress-related disease, especially in psychiatric disorders, the relaxation technique may be a useful complement to conventional treatment and serves as an intervention between stress and disease.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.295-301
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• 1996

We investigated the characteristics of cognitive-behavioral response to auditory hallucinations in 27 schizophrenic patients. The results were as follows : 1) The most frequent cognitive and behavioral response was healthy cognitive one such as suppression or ignoring and increasing physiological arousal, respectively. 2) The characteristics of auditory hallucinations in good/fair copers was that if was more likely to be mild in severity and insight-oriented And increasing physiological arousal was used more frequently in good/fair copers and unhealthy cognitive-behavioral response was used more frequently in poor copers. 3) Out of 3 variables(duration, insight and severity of auditory hallucinations), the insight of auditory hallucinations was the only factor which made difference in unhealthy cognitive response. In conclusion, there were quite a diverse and unique cognitive-behavioral response to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2002

Objectives: This study is aimed at measuring psychophysiological responses using a biofeedback system in healthy people to obtain basic normative data for biofeedback research and treatment. Methods: Ninety-six healthy volunteers (55 males and 41 females : average age $30.4{\pm}8.0$) without any history of major medical or psychiatric illnesses participated in this study. Psychophysiological responses were assessed using the ProComp+ and BioGraph program (ver. 2.1) with regard to forearm and frontal electromyography (EMG), electrodermal response (EDR), and skin temperature. They were measured in 3 phases (baseline, stress, and recovery phases), respectively. Beck depression inventory and Spielberger state and trait anxiety inventory were used to measure mood states. We compared psychophysiological responses according to age and gender differences, respectively and examined the relationship between mood states and psychophysiological measures. Results: People in their twenties showed higher EDR levels in the 3 phases than those of other age groups. Female subjects showed higher frontal EMG levels in the 3 phases compared with male subjects. There was no significant correlation between biofeedback measures and mood states in these subjects. Conclusion: We present normative data of psychophysiological responses measured by a biofeedback system in healthy people. These results suggest that gender and age should be considered as important variables in assessing psychophysiological responses using a biofeedback system.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.81-92
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• 2001

Stress has been linked to the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of various psychiatric illnesses. Over the past few years, our understanding of the brain and neuroendocrine systems that are linked to stress responses has increased enormously. This article reviews a series of animal and human studies to understand what are the central pathways by which stress is perceived, processed, and transduced into a neuroendocrine response. We focus on the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(LHPA) axis and several neurotransmitter systems such as norepinephrine, CRF, serotonin, acetylcholine, and dopamine. LHPA stress circuit is a complex system with multiple control mechanisms which are altered in pathological states. CRF and related peptides in the central nervous system appear to enhance behavioral responses to stressors. Norepinephrine systems are also activated by stressors and cause the release of catecholamines from the autonomic nervous system. CRF-norepinephrine interaction makes a feed-forward system which may be important for an organism to mobilize not only the pituitary system but also the central nervous system, in response to environmental challenges. The interactions among several neurotransmitters and endocrine systems appear to play key roles in mediating various behavioral and psychological stress responses involving abnormal responses to stressors such as anxiety and affective disorders.