Study Overview
| Authors | Meinhausen C., Sanchez G.J., Robles T.F., Edmondson D., Kronish I.M., Hinrichs R., Jovanovic T., Sumner J.A. |
| Institution | Columbia University / UCLA / Emory University, USA |
| Journal | Chronic Stress (SAGE) |
| Year | 2023 |
| DOI | 10.1177/24705470231156571 |
| PubMed | PMC9940223 |
| Product | eSense Skin Response |
| Participants | 98 stroke/TIA patients (hospital) |
What was investigated?
Strokes can be experienced by affected individuals as life-threatening events and may subsequently lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers from a US research consortium (Columbia University, UCLA, Emory University) investigated which patient characteristics are associated with elevated skin conductance reactivity during a stroke-related trauma interview conducted while still in the hospital. The aim was to identify physiological markers that could indicate an elevated PTSD risk even during the acute phase of the illness.
Methods
The study enrolled 98 patients with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) who were interviewed at the bedside. The mean age was 60.4 years; the sample was ethnically diverse (39.8% Hispanic, 33.7% non-Hispanic Black, 20.4% non-Hispanic White). Measurements took under 15 minutes and consisted of a two-minute resting baseline and a standardized interview with 15 questions about the stroke experience. Usable data were obtained from 89.9% of participants — evidence of the practical feasibility of the measurement method under clinical conditions.
Mindfield Product in this Study
The eSense Skin Response (Mindfield Biosystems, Berlin) was used directly at the patients’ bedside, connected to an iPad. The electrodes were attached to the middle fingertips using Velcro straps and coated with isotonic paste. Data acquisition was performed at a sampling rate of 10 Hz. Skin conductance response (SCR) was calculated as the difference between the maximum skin conductance during the interview and the average of the last 30 seconds of the resting phase. The device proved effective under the demanding conditions of a neurology ward — usable measurement data were obtained from 88 of 98 patients (89.9%).
Results
The researchers found that higher cumulative trauma burden (total number of previous lifetime traumatic experiences) was significantly associated with stronger skin conductance reactivity to stroke-related memories (r = 0.23; p = 0.04). This association persisted after statistical adjustment for age and medication intake (β = 0.22; p = 0.04).
Patients who received benzodiazepines in the hospital showed a markedly stronger skin conductance response than patients without this medication (mean 1.51 μS vs. 0.76 μS; p = 0.01; effect size Cohen’s d = 0.60). The authors interpret this as an indication that these patients experienced a more pronounced acute stress response. No significant associations were found for age, sex, ethnicity, education level, or stroke severity.
Significance
This study demonstrates the practical applicability of the eSense Skin Response under clinical conditions: Mobile skin conductance measurement directly at the bedside of stroke patients was feasible and yielded usable data from nearly 90% of participants — even in a high-risk medical population with heterogeneous histories. This is an important demonstration of the sensor’s robustness under real conditions outside controlled laboratory settings.
Scientifically, the results show that physiological reactivity in the acute phase after a stroke is related to the individual trauma biography of patients. The authors recommend longitudinal studies to investigate whether SCR reactivity can predict subsequent PTSD development — a question addressed in the follow-up study by the same research group.
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