novel technique using measurements of galvanic skin resistance and heart rate variability to review the autonomic changes in chronic alcoholics

ABSTRACT

Alcohol has been widely consumed since prehistoric times by people around the world, as a component of the standard diet, for hygienic or medical reasons, for its relaxant and euphoric effects, for recreational purposes, for artistic inspiration and as aphrodisiacs. Alcohol is known to affect the sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, though the exact disturbances and degree of damage to the autonomic nervous system is not fully understood and possibility of reciprocal damage to these nerves have not been studied. Sympathetic nerve function was assessed by measurement of the galvanic skin resistance [GSR] Parasympathetic nerve function was assessed by R-R interval variation during deep breathing as measured by the heart rate variability [HRV] by the expiration/inspiration [E/I] ratio. 135 chronic alcoholics admitted to the Velankini rehabilitation ward were selected for this study. GSR was measured using GSR meter and HRV was assessed manually from calculation of the mean R-R interval and its standard deviation measured on short-term electrocardiograms. Karl Pearson correlation was used to look for an association between GSR and HRV. A negative correlation of-0.919 was obtained. This signified that higher the sympathetic activity, lesser the vagal activity. Thus chronic consumption of alcohol has caused a proportional and reciprocal damage of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in the human system