Phasic electrodermal responses associated with whole-body instability: presence and influence of expectation

While much is understood about somatic contributions to postural control, there is less consideration for the potential involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as integral for maintenance of stability. The purpose of this study was to examine autonomic responses, as measured through electrodermal recordings, evoked in response to whole-body perturbations to standing balance. We hypothesized that phasic electrodermal responses (EDRs) would be consistently observed in response to evoked perturbations and that response amplitude would depend on the capacity to predict perturbation timing. Temporally unpredictable and self-initiated (predictable) backward perturbations evoked in healthy participants (n=15) elicited compensatory feet-in-place reactions with tibialis anterior activation 125.1+/-60.2 ms following perturbation onset. EDRs were consistently observed starting 1883.6+/-329.1 ms after perturbation and reaching their peak at 4016.6+/-896.9 ms. Amplitude was significantly larger in the unpredictable task (1.1+/-0.84 micromho) compared to the predictable task (0.45+/-0.55 micromho, P<0.001). Amplitude was largest in the first block of five trials (P<0.0001), then remained constant for subsequent trials in each condition. Post-hoc analysis indicated that trials with an unplanned compensatory step (3.5%) were 137.0+/-176.6% larger than feet-in-place reactions (P=0.02). Elevated EDRs during initial trials and unanticipated reactions suggest that these measures could be used to assess the perceived 'novelty' of applied perturbations, having implications for interpreting characteristics of the evoked somatic reactions. The persistence of perturbation-evoked EDRs even after thirty trials may also highlight an important role for phasic ANS responses in compensatory postural control.