August 2005 Newsletter - American Institute of Stress

HEALTH AND STRESS
August
2005
HOW ACCURATE ARE DEVICES
FOR MEASURING STRESS?
KEYWORDS: " C o l d f e e t " , L . R . H u b b a r d , S c i e n t o l o g y , B r a i n f i n g e r p r i n t i n g , f M R I , t h e r m a l
imaging, laser Doppler vibrometry, CVSA, "truth specs", HeartMath, HeartTracker,
Heart Tuner Pro, OmegaWave Sport, Physiolab
A plethora of products and procedures are available that claim to detect and measure
emotional stress. They come in all shapes and sizes and vary in price from stress dots and
cards that cost pennies or mood rings for a few bucks to laboratory tests, heart rate variability
and functional magnetic resonance imaging instruments that can set you back hundreds or
thousands of dollars. Some are based on various aspects of autonomic nervous system
function and others utilize measurements of specific hormones, neuropeptide messengers and
chemicals to rate stress levels and responses to stress. While not germane to this Newsletter,
there are also a host of psychometric tests and questionnaires to assess anxiety, depression,
anger, hostility as well as traits that have been linked to stress related disorders.
How accurate any of these are can be difficult to determine since stress is a highly subjective
phenomenon that differs for each of us. Things that are very distressful for some can be an
exhilarating pleasure for others or have little impact either way, as readily illustrated by
observing passengers on a steep roller coaster ride. We may also respond differently to the
same psychosocial stressor – some people blush, while others grow pale, perspire profusely,
frown and scowl, or somehow manage to preserve an emotionless "poker face".
It is crucial to keep the above considerations in mind since attempts to prove the authenticity of
various approaches are often based on how the
ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE
subject responds to some standard stimulus that is
assumed to be uniformly distressful or pleasurable. It
• Stress Dots, Squares, Cards,
is equally important to understand the mechanism of
Thermometers And Mood Rings
• Galvanic Skin Resistance,
action of different devices to evaluate their
Psychogalvanic Skin Responses And
appropriateness and accuracy for certain applications.
E-Meters
I was prompted to discuss these issues partly because
• The Polygraph And Other Devices To
of the resurgent popularity of "biodots", "stress cards"
Detect The Stress Of Lying
and the explosion of free "E-meter" stress testing
• Is HRV The Answer To Measuring
here and abroad, as well as some recent
Stress Levels As Well As Reducing
advances in the objective measurement of stress
Them?
t h a t h a v e a m u c h m o r e s o l i d an d s c i e n t i f i c b a s i s .
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Stress Dots, Squares, Cards, Thermometers And Mood Rings
The term "cold feet" is believed to derive from an Italian expression "avegh minga frecc i pee"
used in a very old proverb to signify not having any means or resources. Presumably, being
very poor might mean that you could not afford shoes and were therefore likely to have cold
feet. Its first English use as not having any money was in Ben Jonson's Volpone, a 1607 play
that was set in Italy. It resurfaced in an 1862 novel about a card player who backed out of a
game using the excuse of cold feet rather than the fear of losing his money and the
expression came to mean to lose one's nerve or retreat from a difficult situation. "Cold feet"
to describe being afraid appeared in America in the 1890's and may have been brought by
Italian immigrants who were familiar with the old proverb. Some believe it might also refer to
the association of fright with cold - chattering teeth, shivers, and chills, etc. Current
synonyms for cold feet include anxiety, apprehension, distress, fear, fright and trepidation, as
well as to "chicken out", avoid, beg off or bow out. These latter meanings, often used when
someone wants to back out of a wedding, could also come from the practice of sticking a toe
or foot in water to test its temperature and then deciding against "taking the plunge" because
it was too frigid.
The proverb "cold hands, warm heart" infers that a seemingly reserved or cool exterior may
often disguise a warm and kind heart. It is frequently said to someone with very cold hands
in order to keep them from being embarrassed, especially when they are under stress.
During stress, increased tension in the large muscles of the extremities and shunting of blood
to vital organs reduces its flow to the hands and feet resulting in a reduction in temperature,
particularly in the fingers and toes. These changes can be as much as 10 degrees (in the
82°F to 92°F range) depending on how relaxed or stressed you are. There are also
thermometers calibrated to 1/10th of one degree that can be adhered to the hands to give
direct temperature readings. Stress dots, squares, cards etc. that are applied to the
extremities to assess stress levels contain thermal sensitive substances that vary in color
depending on the temperature. The most common sites are the hands and fingers and one
company offers the following interpretation for their products.
COLOR
Purple/Violet
Blue
Grass Green
Muddy Green
Light Gray/Brown
Dark Gray
Black
TEMPERATURE
94.6
93.6
92.6
91.6
90.6
89.6
87.0
STRESS LEVEL
Very Relaxed
Calm
Relaxing
Involved
Unsettled
Tense
Very Tense
Mood rings that were a fad three decades ago have also resurfaced, along with mood
bracelets, pendants and earrings. These usually contain either a hollow glass shell filled with
thermotropic liquid crystals or a clear glass stone sitting on top of a thin sheet of these
crystals whose molecules twist or change position depending on the amount of heat they are
exposed to. Temperature alterations in molecular structure affect the wavelengths of light
that are absorbed or reflected by the crystals and this produces an apparent change in the
stone's color. As the temperature increases, the resultant twist causes more absorption of the
red and green portions of the visible light spectrum and more of the blue part is reflected, so
that the stone now appears to be dark blue. When the temperature falls the molecules start to
twist in the opposite direction and a different portion of the spectrum is reflected. There are
also mood lipsticks that can change color but these operate on an entirely different principle
that has relatively little to do with the wearer's mood. They contain weak acid pigments of
one color conjugated with a base with a strikingly different color. Which of these prevails
depends entirely on the amount of acid or base (pH) to which they are exposed. If you apply
some of this lipstick to strips of filter paper and soak one in an acid like vinegar and another
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in a solution of baking soda, a base, the color change will resemble what you see when the
product is applied to your skin. However, in addition to stress, the pH of skin can depend on
numerous factors, including diet, amount of physical activity and even the menstrual cycle.
The great variety in natural skin colors can also cause differences in the color from application
to application so the results are not consistent.
The inside of a mood ring conducts heat from your finger to the liquid crystals and green is
calibrated to approximately 82°F., which signifies "average" on the mood ring color rating
scale. As the your finger temperature goes up and down there are corresponding changes in
the ring's color that are claimed to reflect the following moods:
COLOR
Dark Blue
Blue
Aquamarine
Green
Amber/Yellow
Gray
Black
MOOD
Happy, romantic or passionate
Calm or relaxed
Somewhat relaxed
Normal or average
A little nervous or anxious
Very nervous or anxious
Stress, very tense or agitated
There are numerous variations of this chart that ascribe different feelings to other colors that
can occasionally appear. In one version, red is believed to be the color of passion and anger
but could also represent "an adventuresome spirit or major excitement over something that is
happening or about to happen in your life." Although green is "normal", it is the color of living
plants and is often associated with growth, or "might indicate a healing time, a feeling of love,
etc."
Other colors sometimes seen and their significance include pink (fear), purple
(sensuality), orange (a state of wanting something) and white (feeling frustrated, confused or
bored). If you take a mood ring off, its color usually changes to black, unless the ambient
temperature is very high.
While biodots, stress cards, mood rings and other thermal detectors can indicate
physical reactions to your emotional state they do not reflect your mood with any
scientific accuracy because of numerous other influences. You can register a cooler
temperature if you have consumed caffeinated beverages, smoked, just finished exercising,
eating, have not eaten for a long period of time, and if you have vasospastic or occlusive
peripheral vascular disease. Room temperature is also important.
Galvanic Skin Resistance, Psychogalvanic Skin Responses And E-Meters
In addition to cold hands, emotional stress may also cause sweaty palms and increased
perspiration elsewhere in the body that can be detected by measuring the electrical activity of
the skin. There are several methods, including skin resistance (SR), skin conductance (SC)
and skin potential (SP). SR and SC are monitored by the external application of a weak
voltage across the skin and measuring its resistance to the flow of electricity. SP is measured
by recording the internal electrical activity of the skin in the absence of any external influence
by using silver/silver chloride electrodes that are particularly sensitive to such changes.
Electrodes are usually placed on the palms of the hand or soles of the feet because these
have the most sweat glands per surface area in the body and also respond more to emotional
stress than to increased heat compared to sweat glands elsewhere. Other terms used to
describe electrodermal activities include galvanic skin resistance (GSR) and psychogalvanic
skin response (PSR). However, these are often ambiguous since they may refer to skin
resistance, conductivity, potential or some combination of these.
The most popular devices measure galvanic skin resistance, which reflects sweat gland
activity and pore size, both of which are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.
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During psychological stress, stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system causes
increased production of sweat composed of water and salt that reduces skin resistance,
resulting in a fall in GSR. This can be measured using a Wheatstone bridge circuit that
consists of electricity from a battery connected to a galvanometer that connects two parallel
circuits. One circuit contains two resistors with a known resistance and the other has one of
these and another whose resistance is not known. To determine this, the resistance of the
other three are adjusted and balanced until the galvanometer reading decreases to zero.
The Wheatstone bridge has been around since 1833 and its components can be purchased
for a small fraction of the price of products that utilize this principle.
O n e p o p u l a r i n s t r u m e n t i s th e G S R I I s h o w n o n th e
r i g h t . I n s t e a d o f a m e t e r , t h e GS R l e v e l is r e l a y e d b y
a t o n e t h a t i s g e n e r a t e d w h e n y o u r e s t t w o fi n g e r s o n
t h e s e n s i n g p l a t e s . I t i s o f t e n u s e d as a b i o f e e d b a c k
d e v i c e s i n c e t h e t o n e r i s e s an d f a l l s d e p e n d i n g o n
y o u r " s t r e s s le v e l " a n d w i t h p r ac t i c e yo u c an le ar n
h o w t o r e l a x an d l o w e r t h e t o n e . T h e r e a r e v a r i o u s
e n h a n c e m e n t s i n c l u d i n g a m e t e r th a t r e s p o n d s i n a
s i m i l a r fa s h i o n a s w e l l a s s o f t w a r e t o c o n n e c t t o a P C
t h a t h as m o r e e l ab o r a te c o l o r d i s pl a y s t o i m p r o v e i ts
b i o fe e db ac k c ap a bi l i t i e s .
T h e r e ar e m a n y s i m i l a r p r o d u c t s , s u c h as t h e M i c r o n t a B i o f e e d b a c k M o n i t o r t h a t w o r k s o n
a s i m i l a r p r i n c i p l e b u t u t i l i z e s s e n s o r s c o n t a i n e d i n V e l c r o w r a p p e d a r o u n d t w o fi n g e r s o f
one hand . An osci llome ter emits a hig h-pit ched buzz due to dec rease d GSR when you
a r e t e n s e an d n e r v o u s a n d t h i s p r o g r e s s i v e l y c h a n g e s t o a s l o w p o p p i n g s o u n d w h e n y o u
bec ome v ery c alm and re laxed . Li ke th e GSR 2, this device is also u sed to red uce s tress
a s w e l l as as s i s t w i t h s u c h t h i n g s as s m o k i n g c e s s a t i o n u s i n g s u p p o r t i v e au d i o c a s s e t t e s .
H u n d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f s t r e s s t e s t s u s i n g an " E - m e t e r " h a v e b e e n a d m i n i s t e r e d h e r e
a n d a b r o a d b y e m p l o y e e s a n d v o l u n t e e r s fr o m t h e C h u r c h o f S c i e n t o l o g y i n a n e f f o r t t o
s e l l c o p i e s o f D i a n e t i c s , w r i t t e n b y i t s f o u n d e r L. R o n H u b b a r d . T h e b a c k o f t h e b o o k ,
f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n 1 9 5 0 , p r o m i s e s a d v i c e fo r " l i v i n g w i t h o u t i n s e c u r i t y , n e g a t i v e t h o u g h t s ,
d e p r e s s i o n an d i r r a t i o n a l b e h a v i o r . F o l l o w i n g t h e 9 / 1 1 t r a g e d y , b r i g h t l y c o l o r e d b o o t h s
a d v e r t i s i n g " F r e e S t r e s s T e s t i n g " a n d a c o p y o f D i a n e t i c s fo r $ 8 . 0 0 h a v e i n c r e a s i n g l y
s p r u n g u p at T i m e s S q u a r e an d o t h e r h e a v i l y t r a f f i c k e d s u b w a y h u b s i n N e w Y o r k an d
o t h e r c i t i e s , i n f r o n t o f M a r s h a l l F i e l d ' s de p a r t m e n t s t o r e o n S t a t e S t r e e t i n C h i c a g o , O l d
N a v y an d o t h e r p o p u l a r s t o r e s o n M a r k e t S t r e e t i n S a n F r a n c i s c o , i n t h e m i d d l e o f
C a m b r i d g e ' s H a r v a r d S q u a r e a n d o t h e r B o s t o n g a t h e r i n g p l a c e s a n d B u f f a l o ' s La f a y e t t e
S q u a r e , t o n a m e j u s t a fe w . I n O r e g o n , c h i l d r e n a r e u s e d t o d i s t r i b u t e f l y e r s a b o u t t h e
f r e e s t r e s s t e s t s at b u s y b u s an d o t h e r P o r t l a n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s i t e s d u r i n g r u s h h o u r s .
B o o t h s c a n b e f o u n d a t n u m e r o u s l o c a t i o n s i n Lo s A n g e l e s , w h i c h i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g , s i n c e
one stre et is name d "L. Ron Hubba rd Wa y". Visit ors h ere and el sewhe re ar e con stant ly
r e m i n d e d t h a t C h u r c h o f S c i e n t o l o g y m e m b e r s w h o h a v e fe r v e n t l y fo l l o w e d i t s t e a c h i n g s
a n d e n c o u r a g e d e v e r y o n e t o d o s o i n c l u d e J o h n T r a v o l t a , T o m C r u i s e , K i r s t i e A l l e y , Li s a
M ar i e P r e s l e y , C h i c k C o r e a, I s aac Hay e s , So n n y B o n o a n d s o m an y o t h e r c e l e b r i t i e s t h at
o n e l o c a l p a p e r r e f e r r e d t o S c i e n t o l o g y as t h e " p o w e r r e l i g i o n o f H o l l y w o o d . " H u b b a r d , a
p u l p s c i e n c e fi c t i o n w r i t e r , fo u n d e d t h e r e l i g i o u s p h i l o s o p h y o f S c i e n t o l o g y i n 1 9 5 1 a n d
t h e fi r s t C h u r c h o f S c i e n t o l o g y a fe w y e a r s l a t e r . T o a i d i n r e c r u i t i n g m e m b e r s , h e u s e d
an E-met er, w hich is an abbr eviat ion for el ectro -ence phalo neuro menti mogra ph. Altho ugh
H u b b a r d ' s n a m e i s o n t h e p a t e n t a p p l i c a t i o n fo r t h e E - m e t e r i t w a s i n v e n t e d y e a r s e a r l i e r
b y Vo l n e y Mat h i s o n , a c h i r o p r ac t o r . I t was o r i g i n al l y c al l e d t h e Ma t h i s o n Mo d e l B
E l e c t r o p s y c h o m e t e r an d w a s d e s i g n e d t o b e u s e d a s an ai d d u r i n g p s y c h o t h e r a p y .
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Hubbard's first E-meter, shown on the right,
consisted of two metal cylinders connected to a
galvanometer. A cylinder is held in each and the
subject is asked to think about people or things
that have a great deal of personal importance.
When there is a high or low meter reading the
subject is asked, "What were you thinking about?"
Church counselors called auditors can quickly
identify the source of any problems and teach the
subject how to eradicate and prevent them by
using the E-meter.
Scientologists state that the E-meter is so sensitive that it will
react not only to people but also if it is connected to a vegetable,
since all living things have feelings. One study allegedly showed
that a tomato, when pierced with a nail, showed "definite
emotional anxiety reactions" similar to those exhibited by the Emeter in humans suffering from anxiety. Hubbard also believed
that tomato plants had past lives and that by "auditing" he could
regress the plant into a former life to make it grow faster and
yield more fruit. The photo on the left shows him giving spiritual
counseling to a tomato plant using an E-meter adapted for this
purpose. Since, according to Hubbard the device measured
"electrical charges associated with thought", it can also be
utilized to teach people how to think more clearly and
constructively and even raise their I.Q. However, it is simply a
GSR device.
Hubbard described Scientology as the science of "knowing how to know" and said that the
E-meter auditing process could raise your abilities to the point where you "know" something
directly because of supernatural powers, rather than having to discover or learn it.
He
claimed to have developed such abilities and boasted that he had transported himself to the
planet Venus where he was nearly run over by freight locomotive and that people who looked
like Eskimos inhabited Jupiter. He also believed that smoking would prevent lung
cancer since nicotine would turn into nicotinic acid (niacin) that could "drive out
radiation and cancer from the body" and also prevent damage in the event of
nuclear war. The New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners instituted proceedings against
Hubbard's Dianetic Organization for operating an unlicensed medical school and letting people
append an "M.D." after their names to represent "Master of Dianetics." The Internal Revenue
Service stripped Scientology's mother church of its tax-exempt status in 1967. A federal
court also ruled in 1971 that Hubbard's medical claims were bogus and that E-meter auditing
could no longer be called a scientific treatment. The government had previously determined
that an E-meter cost only $12.50 to make but that Scientology organizations bought it
wholesale for $47.00 and sold it for $162.00.
Hubbard responded by seeking First Amendment protection for Scientology's strange rites. His
counselors started sporting clerical collars. Chapels were built, franchises became "missions,"
fees became "fixed donations," and his comic-book cosmology became "sacred scriptures."
The FDA was also skeptical of the E-meter and required that it bear a warning stating it could
not to be used for medical purposes but only as part of a religious activity. A FDA lawyer
called the device "a couple of juice cans that you'd hold in your hands, and the sweat
would generate this electrical charge between, and it would show on a little gauge."
A reporter described its appearance as a "cross between a car speedometer and a
practical joker's electric shock machine."
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The E-meter subsequently underwent a number of
upgrades culminating in the Quantum Super VII on the
right that sells for over $4,500.00. Although it is
based on the same GSR methodology, auditing sessions
with such newer E-meters can cost up to $1,000 an hour
or $12,500 for a 12 1/2-hour "intensive" session. The
full range of courses and all the "auditing" required
to reach the highest level in Scientology could set
you back as much as $360,000.
Church members swear by the device and use it constantly to make important decisions. As
John Travolta explained to one reporter, "'You hold two metal rods in your hands, and an
experienced teacher can tell from the movements of the needles on the meter where the
problem is in your body and soul. I use it every day, at home or in the celebrity center in
Hollywood. I also take a machine with me when I'm on location. It's a religious device and I
enjoy it. I'm always totally refreshed by it." That seems strange, since the E-meter was
originally designed to aid in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, which is
anathema to scientologists. Tom Cruise almost came to blows on the Today show after
host Matt Lauer told him he knew of patients who had been helped with medications for
depression and other emotional problems. Like other ardent Scientologists, Cruise doesn’t
believe in drugs or any kind of therapy for psychiatric disorders since following the Church's
approach is more effective and safer. The heated debate received a great deal of media
attention and some believe it may have been staged to promote the upcoming War of the
Worlds movie in which he stars.
The problem with GSR devices is that some people inherit a tendency to sweat
excessively, especially on the palms and the soles of their feet, beverages
containing caffeine and alcohol and spicy foods can increase sweating and various
medications as well as common drugs like aspirin and Tylenol also influence
perspiration.
Increased sweating may occur in obesity, hyperthyroidism, diabetes,
infections, lymphomas and other malignancies and during menopause. The E-meter metal
cylinder electrodes can produce significantly different results depending on how
much sweaty skin they come in contact with and how tightly they are held. Because
of polarization, E-meters may also require periodic recalibration, which can be expensive.
The Polygraph And Other Devices To Detect The Stress Of Lying
It seems incredible to some authorities that so many law enforcement agencies as well as the
U. S. Government continue to rely on the polygraph as a truth verification device. This is
especially true since a 2003 report by the National Academy of Sciences recommended that
the use of the polygraph should be discontinued because of its high rate of inaccuracy.
Serious polygraph failures that have been very costly have been recognized for some time.
Aldrich Ames, who had a very sensitive position at the CIA, became a traitor and over a long
period of time, sold information as well as the names of operatives working in the Soviet
Union to the KGB. He was able to continue his treachery because he was easily able to pass
his periodic polygraph examinations. As he said, "There is no trick to it, just smile and make
the examiner think you liked them." The KGB executed eleven CIA operatives identified by
Ames and untold harm was done to our national security because of the CIA's reliance on the
polygraph. Leon Ridgeway pled guilty to murdering 48 women in the Seattle area over a
twenty-year period. Ridgeway was given a polygraph exam following the murder of his fourth
victim, was dropped as a suspect after he passed it, and went on to kill another 44 women.
Charles Cullen, "The Angel of Death Nurse" nurse murdered more than 40 patients over a ten
-year period by giving them lethal injections. After his first victim's death he was asked to
take a polygraph test because he was considered a prime suspect. After passing the
polygraph he was exonerated and went on to kill at least another 39 people. Several Internet
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sites offer ways to beat the polygraph and in one study, 50% of college sophomores learned
how to do this successfully after just 30 minutes of training. Others have found that taking
sedatives to dampen sympathetic responses, smearing antiperspirant on their fingertips to
fool GSR detectors and putting tacks in their shoes or biting their tongues or cheeks to create
abnormalities at whenever they choose to can invalidate the test.
As shown on the right, the polygraph
attempts to detect the stress that is
induced by lying through measuring
changes in blood pressure, heart
rate, galvanic skin resistance as well
as chest and abdominal breathing.
The procedure requires a trained
investigator to administer the test
and to interpret the results. Costs
can range from $400 to $1600 or
more/test depending on where it is
being conducted and who is doing it.
I t c a n a l s o b e v e r y ti m e c o n s u m i n g
and take up most of the day,
depending on the number of questions asked and how difficult it is to interpret the results.
The polygraph is not much better at detecting the truth. Chicago police arrested four men in
1978 on charges of brutally murdering a suburban man and his fiancée. All the suspects
maintained that they were innocent but there was little doubt of their guilt since three had
failed a polygraph exam. Largely because of this, all were convicted and two received death
sentences. However, in 1996, incontrovertible DNA evidence completely exonerated all four.
More recently, a week before Saddam Hussein's sons were killed in a shoot-out, an informant
told military intelligence that he could show them the house in Mosul where they were hiding.
However, this information was ignored because he failed the polygraph test. One week later,
the owner of the same Mosul hideout the tipster had identified also told authorities that the
two sons had been hiding there for some time. Special Operations subsequently raided the
house and Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed after putting up fierce resistance. It is not
clear who will collect the $15 million bounty offered for information leading up to the
apprehension of each of Saddam's sons.
As a result, there have been attempts to develop more accurate lie detectors that the courts
would accept as valid evidence. In one known as Brainfingerprinting, relevant words, pictures
or sounds intermixed with irrelevant and control stimuli are presented to a subject whose
brain waves are being monitored on a computer. The data is then analyzed to determine if
the pertinent information is present in the subject’s memory. A specific, measurable brain
response known as P300 is emitted by anyone who has the relevant information stored in his
brain but not by individuals having no memory of the same stimulus. This P300 response
occurs in fractions of a second after the relevant stimulus is presented and long before the
subject is able to formulate or control any response. According to the inventor, simply
presenting evidence associated with a crime to a suspect would produce a pattern indicating
innocence or guilt with 100% accuracy. Brainfingerprinting has already been approved in at
least two States for utilization in court as admissible, factual evidence and is also increasingly
being used by the FBI.
Terry Harrington was convicted of murder in 1978 and was serving a life sentence in an Iowa
prison. In 2000 a Brainfingerprinting test showed that the record stored in his brain did not
match the crime scene but did match his alibi. Confronted with this evidence, the only alleged
witness to the crime recanted. In a sworn statement, Harrington’s accuser confessed that he
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h a d l i e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l t r i a l t o av o i d b e i n g p r o s e c u t e d f o r t h e c r i m e . D u r i n g H a r r i n g t o n ' s
a p p e a l , a D i s t r i c t C o u r t J u d g e r u l e d t h a t B r a i n f i n g e r p r i n t i n g t e s t i n g m e t th e l e g a l D a u b e r t
S t a n d a r d fo r a d m i s s i b i l i t y i n c o u r t a s a u t h e n t i c s c i e n t i f i c e v i d e n c e . I n 2 0 0 3 , t h e I o w a
S u p r e m e C o u r t r e v e r s e d h i s c o n v i c t i o n . I n Ma c o n C o u n t y , M i s s o u r i a Br a i n f i n g e r p r i n t i n g
t e s t o n J . B . G r i n d e r , w h o h a d b e e n a s u s p e c t i n a n u n s o l v e d m u r d e r c a s e fo r 1 5 y e a r s
s h o w e d t h a t t h e r e c o r d s t o r e d i n h i s b r a i n m a t c h e d c r i t i c a l de t a i l s o f t h e c r i m e s c e n e t h a t
onl y the perp etrat or wo uld h ave k nown about . Fa ced w ith an alm ost c ertai n con victi on
a n d a p r o b a b l e d e a t h s e n t e n c e , G r i n d e r p l e d g u i l t y i n e x c h a n g e fo r l i f e i n p r i s o n w i t h o u t
the poss ibili ty of paro le. He th en al so co nfess ed to the previ ously unso lved murde rs of
th r ee ot h er w o m en .
T h e r e ar e n u m e r o u s o t h e r ap p l i c a t i o n s i n c l u d i n g t h e a b i l i t y t o ac c u r a t e l y an d i m m e d i a t e l y
i de n ti fy i n g t e r r o r i s ts .
Alt hough evid ence such as fi ngerp rints or D NA ma y not be
a v a i l a b l e , t h e b r a i n o f t h e p e r p e t r a t o r al w a y s r e t a i n s m e m o r i e s o f p l a n n i n g , e x e c u t i n g o r
rec ordin g the crim e tha t can be detect ed. Brain finge rprin ting can also be use d for the
e a r l y d e t e c t i o n o f c e r t a i n d i s o r d e r s a n d t o ac c u r a t e l y ac c e s s t h e e f f i c a c y o f t r e a t m e n t .
R e s e a r c h s t u d i e s s u g g e s t t h a t an a l y s i s o f t h e P 3 0 0 b r a i n w a v e i s e x t r e m e l y e f f e c t i v e at
ide ntify ing the on set o f Alz heime r's and it s deg ree o f sev erity . Te sting at period ic
i n t e r v a l s w o u l d al l o w m e a s u r i n g d i s e a s e p r o g r e s s i o n a s w e l l as r e s p o n s e t o t h e r a p y .
S u c h a c a p a b i l i t y w o u l d al l o w m a n u f a c t u r e r s t o m o r e a c c u r a t e l y d e t e r m i n e t h e
e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f p r o m i s i n g d r u g s fo r A l z h e i m e r ' s a n d r e d u c e r e s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t
cos ts by gett ing them approv ed mo re ra pidly . Sp ecifi c inf ormat ion that people reta ined
f r o m a m e d i a c a m p a i g n c o u l d al s o b e i d e n t i f i e d , ad d i n g a w h o l e n e w d i m e n s i o n t o
m e a s u r i n g a d v e r t i s i n g a n d m a r k e t i n g e f f i c a c y t h a t w o u l d b e fa r s u p e r i o r t o s u b j e c t i v e
s u r v e y s an d f o c u s g r o u p s .
I n ad d i t i o n , s c i e n t i s t s at t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s R e s e a r c h I m a g i n g C e n t e r ar e m a p p i n g
w h i c h p a r t s o f t h e b r a i n ar e b e i n g u s e d w h e n a p e r s o n l i e s b y u s i n g ad v a n c e d M R I
tec hnolo gy. As th e lea d res earch er ex plain ed, " W e ca n tel l if peopl e are lyin g or telli ng
t h e t r u t h . T h e b r a i n h a s a d i f f e r e n c e , a b l o o d fl o w c h a n g e , a n d p e o p l e w h o h a v e t o t h i n k
a b o u t h o w t h e y l i e u s e t h e c a l c u l a t i o n c e n t e r o f t h e br a i n . " B e c a u s e t h e t e c h n i q u e
m e a s u r e s b r a i n r e s p o n s e s , h e b e l i e v e s i t w o u l d b e fa r s u p e r i o r t o t h e p o l y g r a p h b e c a u s e
" t h e b r a i n i s w h e r e t h e l i e c o m e s fr o m . " U s i n g t h e s a m e fu n c t i o n a l m a g n e t i c r e s o n a n c e
i m a g i n g ( f M R I ) s c a n t h a t pi c k s u p br a i n t u m o r s , T e m p l e U n i v e r s i t y M e d i c a l s c h o o l
r a d i o l o g i s t s s i m i l a r l y fo u n d t h a t d i f f e r e n t a r e a s o f t h e b r a i n w e r e a c t i v a t e d w h e n a p e r s o n
t o l d t h e t r u t h as o p p o s e d t o w h e n t h e y l i e d an d t h a t m o r e ar e a s o f a c t i v i t y w e r e n o t e d
w h e n t h e pe r s o n w a s t r y i n g h a r d e r t o b e de c e p t i v e . I n o n e e x p e r i m e n t , s i x o f 1 1
v o l u n t e e r s w e r e a s k e d t o fi r e a t o y g u n a n d t h e n l i e a b o u t w h e t h e r t h e y h a d p u l l e d t h e
t r i g g e r . T h e o t h e r fi v e w e r e a s k e d t o t e l l t h e t r u t h a b o u t w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d . E a c h o f t h e
p a r t i c i p a n t ’ s b r a i n w a s t h e n s c a n n e d u s i n g fM R I w h i l e b e i n g a s k e d q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e
i n c i d e n t . A po l y g r a p h t e s t w a s s i m u l t a n e o u s l y c o n d u c t e d t o c o m p a r e t h e a c c u r a c y o f t h e
two meth ods. Unli ke th e pol ygrap h, th e fMR I acc urate ly di sting uishe d bet ween subje cts
w h o w e r e t e l l i n g t h e t r u t h a n d t h o s e w h o w e r e l y i n g i n al l c a s e s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , f M R I
i m a g i n g i s t o o c o s t l y a t pr e s e n t t o pe r m i t w i d e s p r e a d u s e bu t t h i s m a y c h a n g e .
A n o t h e r n e w t e c h n o l o g y be i n g e x p l o r e d i s a t h e r m a l c a m e r a t h a t c a n d e t e c t m i n u t e
cha nges in te mpera ture. May o Cli nic r esear chers had a the rmal camer a tra ined on a
s u b j e c t ’ s fa c e w h e n a n a c c i d e n t c a u s e d a l a r g e s l a b o f m a r b l e t o c o m e c r a s h i n g t o t h e
flo or. They noted that the unexp ected nois e res ulted in an exp losio n of heat in pa rts o f
the face and neck due to a s urge of bl ood. Sinc e thi s rea ction to s udden stre ss wa s
c l e a r l y v i s i b l e w i t h t h e c a m e r a , t h e y s p e c u l a t e d t h a t a s i m i l a r r e s p o n s e m i g h t be e l i c i t e d
in other type s of acute stre ss, s uch as tha t cau sed by lyi ng. Subse quent stud ies h ave
n o w c o n f i r m e d th i s .
August 2005
The Newsletter of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STRESS
Normal Facial Thermogram
Page 9
Facial Thermogram When Lying
The thermogram on the right shows marked facial color changes indicating that the man may
be lying. The camera, which is the size of a postage stamp, can be concealed and trained on
a subject without their knowledge. Since the results are available immediately, it could be
used on someone trying to enter the country who is being questioned by a customs agent or
when going through check-in procedures prior to boarding a plane.
Another surreptitious device that the Defense Department is studying is a computer screen
embedded with infrared light sensors that tracks a person’s eye movement in a way that can
elicit the truth without anything being said. The technology is based on the principle that
people’s eye movements will betray whether the person or place they’re staring at is familiar
to them. By flashing pictures of people and places onto the screen, the computer can detect
whether a subject has seen a particular person such as a crime victim or has been to a
specific location like the crime scene. This may be especially useful in situations like child
abductions when authorities are often dealing with a known population of offenders. If these
individuals are shown images of a missing child or place where the abduction occurred, the
guilty party is apt to betray himself through the movements and reactions of his eyes that can
be recorded with great accuracy. This approach is also based on a serendipitous observation
made 6 years ago when a University of Illinois researcher found that by tracking where you
look, the number of places you look at and how long you view each area, he could tell
whether you had seen a face or scene before. He found that people move their eyes over
fewer areas when viewing familiar scenes, and gravitate to areas of previously viewed scenes
that have been modified. The following year, he published a paper showing that that this was
true even in people with amnesia. This means that even accomplished liars would find it
tough to beat the eye-tracker because it's easy to see when subjects don't follow the
instructions. As he warned, "If you're not looking at the image or you're blinking, we'll know.
If you stay fixated on one point and don't move your eyes, we'll know. Or, if you look too
little at a particular region, we will know, because that's exactly what we're measuring."
The eyes are not the only part of the human body that may reveal lies and deception.
Another new technology gaining interest is based on new evidence that muscle tissue in
certain locations have different vibration patterns when people are experiencing stress
compared to when they are completely relaxed. Laser Doppler vibrometry testing involves
pointing a laser at a person’s carotid artery to obtain a baseline pattern during a conversation
in which neutral questions are answered. When loaded questions are interspersed a change
August 2005
The Newsletter of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STRESS
Page 10
in vibrations" can indicate if the subject is lying or being deceptive since these patterns are
different due to stress. Vocal muscle vibration changes are also the basis for the Computer
Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA), currently used by over 1400 law enforcement agencies.
A microphone is attached to a state of the art computer
that can analyze each voice pattern response to detect
certain inaudible tell tale vibrations. Voice is made up of
audible amplitude (AM) and inaudible frequency (FM)
modulated sound waves. Microtremors are tiny frequency
modulations and when someone is under stress, as
o c cu r s w i t h l y i n g , t h e i n v o l u n t a r y n e r v o u s s y s t e m
Truthful
Lying
c a u s e s an i n a u d i b l e i n c r e a s e i n m i c r o t r e m o r fr e q u e n c y
t h a t th e C V S A c a n de t e c t , m e a s u r e an d gr a p h i c a l l y di s p l a y as s h o w n o n th e l e f t .
For less than $150.00 you can buy the Handy Truster, which, according to the manufacturer,
monitors the level of stress in a person's voice and can distinguish true and false statements
with 82% accuracy. It can be used in person or over the phone, works in any language and
displays nine different levels of stress on a LCD screen as noted below.
The Handy Truster
F o r a r o u n d $ 4 0 0 , yo u m ay s o o n b e a b l e t o b u y " t r u t h sp e c s " , o r v o i c e a n a l y s i s g l a s s e s .
An invisible chip inside the glass uses 8,000
algorithms to measure 129 aspects of the sound
produced when someone speaks. These are analyzed
and the results are displayed on the inside of the
frame as a red, yellow or green light to indicate a lie,
possible lie, or the truth. Accuracy is allegedly better
than 95 percent. The Israeli-developed technology is
being used for applications varying from anti-terrorism
and law enforcement to insurance and workers
compensation claim assessment. Also available is a PC
program that can analyze telephone or TV voices to
detect whether witnesses during trials or candidates in
presidential debates are telling the truth.
August 2005
The Newsletter of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STRESS
Page 11
Is HRV The Answer To Measuring Stress Levels And Reducing Them?
HRV (heart rate variability) literally means that the heart does not always beat at the same
rate. Your pulse is lower during sleep and deep relaxation and increases with physical or
emotional stress. Heart rate also fluctuates with breathing. It rises when you inhale and falls
when you breathe out in a normal response known as RSA (respiratory sinus arrhythmia).
Unlike heart rate, which is easy to measure, the change in time from heartbeat to heartbeat
during respiration is difficult to detect on physical examination since it is only a few
milliseconds. HRV was originally measured manually by calculating the mean interval between
successive heartbeats and their standard deviation from ECG monitoring over periods ranging
from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Since then, computer analysis has led to at least two dozen
different arithmetic manipulations to measure HRV in consecutive cardiac cycles, including cycle
length variability, heart period variability, R-R wave variability, and R-R interval tachogram.
These complicated terms emphasize that HRV really refers to analyzing the interval
between consecutive beats rather than actual changes in heart rate. The R wave is an
upward deflection in the electrocardiogram that reflects the ventricular contraction of each beat
as noted below. (Illustrations courtesy of www.heartmath.org)
Heart Rate Variability
The Cardiac Cycle
R
1.5
m Volts
m Volts
2
1
70 BPM
76 BPM
83 BPM
.859 sec.
.793 sec.
.726 sec.
0.5
T
0
P
-0.5
0
1
S
2
2.5 seconds of heartbeat data
Q
QRS
P-R
interval
S-T
Interval
The normal HRV above that occurs with respiration is a measure of how well you adapt to
changes in both the internal and external environment. A decrease in HRV reflects a relative
inability to maintain homeostasis that could be potentially dangerous. The effects of emotions
have been vividly demonstrated in studies showing that public speaking, solving mathematical
problems or making complex decisions under time pressures and other stressful tasks lower
HRV. Even thinking about something very stressful diminishes HRV whereas feelings of deep
appreciation and love have an opposite and immediate effect.
In addition to these dynamic stress responses to stress, HRV also seems to be a marker for
the cumulative wear and tear that occurs with aging. Although resting heart rate does not
change significantly with advancing years there is a progressive decline in HRV. Conversely,
regular physical activity, which can slow down the aging process as well as reduce stress,
raises HRV. Lack of HRV is often seen in infections ranging from AIDS and herpes to flu and
the common cold that have been shown to be associated with stress induced reduction in
immune system defenses. Low HRV has been demonstrated in patients who are depressed,
hostile as well as anxious, particularly in those suffering from panic or posttraumatic stress
disorders as well as certain phobias.
HRV has already been recognized as an accurate and objective tool to evaluate the significance
of stressors as well as the severity of cardiovascular and other stress related disorders. A
recent conference on the relationship between occupational pressures and heart disease
included six papers in which HRV was used to prove this link that correlated with results from
the demand/control and effort/reward approaches used to quantify job stress. Lack of HRV is
often seen in coronary heart disease and hypertension and several prospective studies have
August 2005
The Newsletter of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STRESS
Page 12
shown that low HRV independently predicts mortality within the next two years following a
heart attack and especially from lethal arrhythmias. It may also explain why depression
following a heart attack is associated with increased cardiac morbidity and mortality. HRV is
significantly depressed in patients with heart failure and those with the lowest values have the
poorest prognosis. Certain cardiac drugs that prevent heart attacks and arrhythmias improve
HRV. So do fish oil supplements, wine and exercise, all of which can have cardioprotective as
well as stress reduction effects. In one report of over 7,000 individuals with normal blood
pressures at baseline, low HRV also predicted greater risk of developing hypertension over 9
years of follow-up.
There are also very important metabolic correlations. Low HRV is found in patients with
obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome that can result from stress related increases
in cortisol and HRV is reduced when tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is elevated. TNF is a
proinflammatory cytokine that has adverse effects on insulin resistance, lipid metabolism,
coagulation, and the function of endothelial cells lining blood vessels. Coronary atherosclerosis
and many other disorders are now thought to be due to increased inflammation and blocking
TNF has been shown to be beneficial in rheumatoid arthritis, ileitis and other inflammatory
diseases
In addition to various time measurements that reflect autonomic nervous system and
baroceptor activity, recent HRV research has focused on frequency domain methods using
spectral analysis of power components. The three major components are VLF (very low
frequency), LF (low frequency) and HF (high frequency) oscillations. These are associated with
different parasympathetic and sympathetic system influences but may also be affected by the
renin-angiotensin system and other hormonal and neuroendocrine activities too complicated to
discuss here but will be reviewed in a future issue. In a Newsletter written about ten years ago,
I described the HeartMath Freeze-Frame technology that allows subjects to view HRV in real
time, see how it is lowered by stressful feelings, and learn through biofeedback how to correct
this. This technique has been found to be successful in reducing job stress, improving
performance and creativity in school children and to provide a variety of other benefits.
Since then, Heart Rhythm Scanner, HeartTracker, Heart Tuner Pro, Omegawave Sport,
Physiolab and various instruments that monitor HRV in addition to other stress parameters have
been used for similar purposes, as well as others ranging from assessment of athletic fitness
and biological age to assisting in smoking cessation by reducing the stress associated with such
attempts. New enhancements such as analysis of pulse signals using photoplethysmography
and improvements in frequency domain measurements promise to provide additional valuable
information on the clinical significance of various HRV components. Stay tuned for information
on the use of HRV for assessing stress and alleviating stress-related disorders from new devices
and novel approaches developed here and abroad that we plan to feature in a future Newsletter
devoted to heart rate variability.
Copyright© 2005 by the American Institute of Stress. All rights reserved
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