Conscious control of electrodermal activity: the potential of mental exercises

Few practical methods of communicating with people who are locked-in currently exit. This study investigates conscious control of physiological signals, specifically electrodermal activity, to generate two distinguishable and reproducible states. These states can be translated into a binary signal to control a communication device for people who are locked in. Breathing rates, mental arithmetic and mental music were investigated as means of controlling electrodermal activity. Features extracted from the signals included mean, range and number of electrodermal reactions. For these of four subjects, at least one mental technique caused a reproducible, statistically significant the potential of using mental exercises to develop volitional control of electrodermal activity.