Does muscle tension reflect arousal? Relationship between electromyographic and electroencephalographic recordings

Increased muscle tension and heightened arousal are the most consistent finding in patients with anxiety disorders. This study examined the relationship between frontalis and gastrocnemius electromyographic (EMG) and electroencephalographic activity on 14 female generalized anxiety disorder patients...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 1997-06, Vol.71 (1), p.49-55
Main Authors: Hoehn-Saric, Rudolf, Hazlett, Richard L, Pourmotabbed, Tahere, McLeod, Daniel R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anxiety - physiopathology
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Arousal
Arousal - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
EEG
Electroencephalography
Electromyography
Female
Generalized anxiety disorder
Humans
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Muscle
Muscle Contraction - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychophysiology
Tension
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Summary:Increased muscle tension and heightened arousal are the most consistent finding in patients with anxiety disorders. This study examined the relationship between frontalis and gastrocnemius electromyographic (EMG) and electroencephalographic activity on 14 female generalized anxiety disorder patients and 14 female control subjects. In GAD patients, gastrocnemius but not frontalis EMG was correlated with right but not left hemisphere activity. For the non-anxious subjects, there was a pattern for both β 1 and β 2 waves to be positively associated with both frontalis and gastrocnemius muscle tension levels. The results, while preliminary, suggest that EMG activity may reflect central nervous system arousal. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/S0165-1781(97)00037-1