Arterial blood pressure and electrodermal activity in hypertensive and normotensive subjects during inner- and...

Arterial blood pressure (BP), skin conductance level (SCL) and spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance (SFs) were monitored in 14 subjects with essential hypertension (HT), and 14 matched normotensive (NT) controls during a letter identification task (L) and mental arithmetic (MA). During both tasks, the groups displayed different response patterns such that SFs and BP tended to be negatively correlated in the HT group but were positively correlated in the NT group. No correlation between BT and SCL was obtained in any group during either task. SFs and SCL were positively correlated in the NT group during both tasks whereas no correlation was found in the HT group. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that an increased BP is associated with the rejection of the environment.