Emotional electrodermal response in coma and other low-responsive patients

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Abstract

Emotional processing in coma remains an open question. Skin conductance responses to emotional and neutral auditory stimuli were recorded in 13 low-responsive patients (12 of whom were in coma). A differential response between emotional and neutral stimuli was found, which significantly correlated with the Glasgow Coma Scale and the Cook and Palma score. These correlations indicate that emotional processing can occur in coma patients with relatively high clinical scores of reactivity.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinshaft (SFB 550 to B.K.) and the French Ministry of Health (PHRC 2004 R-03-03).

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