[Electrodermal activity--"psychovegetative resonance" in AIDS patients].

The habituation of the electrodermal reaction (EDR) is one of the most used variables among psychophysiological indicators in investigations in men. In our department a specific computer assisted technique for measuring habituation, mean amplitude, area underneath the line and "emotional reflection" was developed. 15 acoustic stimuli (500 Hz tone at 72 db intensity lasting for 500 msec) are presented to the patient. The habituation criterion is reached when there are no reactions to 3 consecutive stimuli. Since the first reports in 1981 AIDS has become an expanding major public health problem. Therefore the aim of our investigation was to study electrodermal activity in AIDS-patients, especially the habituation of the EDR. 37 addicted AIDS-patients participated in the study voluntarily and were compared to 30 drug addicted HIV-negative patients, 30 homosexual AIDS-patients and 20 healthy normals. Furthermore the patients were divided according to the stages of their disease. The drug addicted AIDS-patient group habituated earlier than the addicted HIV-negative group, the healthy normals, and the homosexual patients. The drug dependent AIDS-patients were more psychovegetatively suppressed. As compared to the healthy normals and addicted HIV-negative patients the homosexual AIDS-patients differed in emotional reflection; they showed a higher degree of excitement, while in drug dependent AIDS-patients a lower emotional reflection was found. Concerning emotional intensity similar results were obtained. Differences in the mean amplitudes reached the level of statistical significance between homosexual AIDS-patients and the healthy normals and addicted HIV-negative patients respectively. Within as well as between both groups differences concerning stage III and IV could be observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)