Origin of the Galvanic Skin Response. ∗

Summary

The galvanic skin response from a macroelectrode covering the toe pad of the cat was compared with simultaneously recorded potentials arising from individual sweat glands and cells of the surrounding epidermis and dermis of the toe pad skin of the same animal. By direct measurements employing microelectrode technics, the fast negative component of the galvanic skin response was shown to originate in the sweat glands, and to be related to sweat gland activity. The slow positive component of the galvanic skin response was shown to originate in the cells of the epidermal layer of the skin and is therefore unrelated to sweating.