TheTechnicalScienceBehindZENTA:

PhysiologicalResponsesandBiometricSignals

AReportbyVINAYALab

Writtenby:
TarekAkkawiMResNeuroscience

Editedby:
SammiRosenthalMScDigitalAnthropology
LeahPalmerBAPsychology
FabioPaniaMscElectronicEngineering

VINAYAisaLondonbaseddesignstudioandresearchlab.Alongwithcreatingnewand
advancedtechnology,VINAYApridesitselfonitscomprehensivelabthatworksaroundthe
clocktofurtherevaluatethehumanmind.InpreparationforZENTA,thecompanysnew
biometricsensingwearable,VINAYAperformedextensiveresearchonjusthowphysiological
sensorsreflectourpresentemotionalstate.

Emotionsareadrivingforceineverypersonslife.Feelingssuchasanxietyorfearareonthe
negativeendofthespectrumwhileotherfeelingssuchasjoyoraffectionareonthepositiveend.
Theexperienceoftheseemotionsleadstotheactionsperformedbypeopleeverydayandthus
contributestowardsourpersonalandoveralldevelopment.

Similarly,werealsoregularlyexposedtoenvironmentalstimuli.whetherthatisfoundinthe
formofsights,sounds,orphysicalcontact.Thesestimuliformthebasisforspecificbehaviours
toemerge,andthesubsequentactionsperformeddeterminewhethertheemotionsinitiallyfelt
evolvepositivelyornegatively.Thecontributionofemotionstothemanifestationofspecific
behaviorscanbearguedtobebilateral.Emotionsmayactasadrivingforcetotheenactmentof
behaviorsandtheconsequencesofonesbehaviorcanresultinthemanifestationofemotions.

Thereforeoneofthegreatestchallengesinunderstandinghumanbehavioristounderstand
humanemotionalexperience.Whatemotionsdoweexperienceandunderwhatcircumstances?
Howdoemotionspredictbehavior?Andhowcanonesemotionalexperiencecontributetowards
onesoverallwellbeing?

Alloftheabovequestionshavecausedresearcherstobeinterestedinstudyingemotionand
determiningawaytoquantifyitinordertoexpandourknowledgeinthisarea.Emotion
Copyright2016VinayaTechnologiesLtd

quantificationaimstoinvestigatethesubjectivityofemotionalexperienceandenhancethe
validityandaccuracyofmappingoutemotionalresponses.Fromamethodologicalperspective,
thisinvolvestheuseofnoninvasivesensorsthatarecapableofmeasuringspecificphysiological
responsesoriginatingfromvariousorganssuchastheheart.Theprocurementofthisobjective
informationcaninformusaboutthedegreeofarousal(physiologicalandpsychologicalexcited
state)andvalence(aversivenessorattractiveness)ofanevent(Mauss2009).

Beforeweattempttounderstandhowsuchorganscontributetoourunderstandingofemotions,
weneedtoexplorehowsuchphysiologicalresponsesemergeandtheunderlyingtechnology
usedtodetectsuchresponses.Theautonomicnervoussystem(ANS)isresponsiblefor
innervatingdifferentorgansinthebodysuchastheheartandtheskin(sweatglands).TheANS
isdividedintotwobranches,thesympatheticnervoussystem(SNS)andtheparasympathetic
nervoussystem(PNS).ThelayoutoftheneuralprojectionsofSNSontheheartandsweat
glandsenablesthetransmissionofexcitatoryimpulsesasaresultofagivenstimulus.These
impulseswillinturnadjusttheactivityoftheheartandsweatglandsdependingonthenatureof
thestimulus.Similarly,theneuralprojectionsofthePNSontheheart(butnotthesweatglands)
enablethetransmissionofinhibitoryimpulsesthusrestoringtheactivityoftheheartbackto
normal(McCorry2007)

Throughsensors,datarelatingtoheartandskinactivitycanbeexaminedintheformofheart
rate,heartratevariability,electrodermalactivityandskintemperature.Measuringthe
physiologicalactivityoftheseorganscanprovideinsightintotheactivityoftheANS.
Traditionally,informationregardingheartactivityisretrievedusingelectrocardiogramsensors.
Howeveradvancementsintechnologyhaveenabledalternativetechniquessuchas
photoplethysmography(PPG).PPGuseslightatdifferentwavelengthsthatilluminatesthe
arteries.Asthelightreachesthearteries,theconcentrationofspecificmolecules,suchas
oxygenatedhemoglobin,willabsorbaportionofthelightataspecificwavelength,while
deoxygenatedhemoglobinwillabsorbaportionofthelightatthealternativewavelength.A
portionofthelightreachesthedetectorandthedevicecanestimateoxygensaturationlevels
(SpO2)(Mengelkoch,1994).Additionally,informationregardingpulsatileblood(bloodvolume
pulse)canberetrievedandprovideinsightsintoheartrate(HR)andheartratevariability
(HRV).HeartratereferstothenumberofheartbeatswithinagiventimeframewhileHRV
referstotheregularityofinterbeatintervalsacrossagiventimeframe(e.g.1minute).

Toexaminethereflectionofemotionontheskin,theconductivityoftheskinwastestedthrough
electrodermalactivity.Electrodermalactivityreferstothevariationoftheelectricalpropertiesof
theskinasaresultofsweatsecretion.Thesensorsinjectasmallelectriccurrentandmonitorthe
voltageacrosstheskin,thusmeasuringchangesintheskinconductivity.Whensweatis
producedasaresultofsympatheticactivity,theskinbecomesmoreconductive.Skin
conductivityischaracterizedbytonicactivityandphasicactivity.Tonicactivitymarksthe
backgroundconductanceleveloftheskinandvariesbetweenindividuals.Phasicactivitymarks
Copyright2016VinayaTechnologiesLtd

distinctfluctuationandisassociatedwitheventrelatedstimuli.Researchersfocusonthe
variouscharacteristicsofthephasicactivitysuchaslatency,amplitude,andrecoverytimeand
relateeachspecificEDAresponsetoaspecificevent.

Variationinskintemperaturecanalsoprovideusefulinformationforphysiologicalresponses.
Vesselscarryingbloodcaneitherconstrictordilate.Vasodilationmeansthatbloodflow
increasesandsubsequentlyheattransferisincreasedwhilevasoconstrictionmeansthatblood
flowisreducedandsubsequentlyheattransferisreduced.

Researchhasshowninmorewaysthanonethatemotionscannotonlybeseenthrough
physiologicalobservation,butcanbestudiedaswell.Overtheyears,researchershavebeen
attemptingtodeterminethecoredimensionsinvolvedincharacterizingemotions.Themain
dimensionsusedwithinresearcharevalence,whichistheattractivenessoraversivenessofa
stimulus,andarousal,whichindicatesthedegreeofphysiologicalandpsychologicalactivation.
Thesetwoelementshavebeenassociatedwiththephysiologicalparametersmentionedabove.
Forexample,HRVhasbeenassociatedwithvalencewhileEDAhasbeenassociatedwith
arousal.Althoughtheabovevariableshavebeenextensivelyusedinresearchandareconsidered
tobethedominantvariablesinunderstandingemotions,theyarenottheonlydimensionsfound
tounderlieemotionalexperience.Otherdimensionssuchascontrollabilityandintensityhave
alsobeenusedtoalesserdegree,indicatingthecomplexityofemotionalresponses.

Asmentionedabove,thephysiologyofdifferentorganssuchastheheartortheskincanprovide
uswithusefulinformationregardingonesemotionalexperience.Forexampleresearchinto
angershowsthatanumberofparametersintheHRVindexdecrease.Thismeansthatthe
contributionoftheparasympatheticbranchdecreaseswhileatthesametimethecontributionof
thesympatheticbranchincreases.WithregardstoEDA,asimilaroutcomeisobservedan
increaseinskinconductivityisreportedduringtheexperienceofangerincludingbothphasic
andtonicactivity.Thismeansthatthecontributionofthesympatheticbranchtowardssweat
glandsisincreased(Kreibig,2010).

Angerisclassifiedasastrongnegativeemotionaccompaniedbyahighdegreeofarousal,
therefore,distinctphysiologicalchangesarenoticeablecomparedtoanindividualsbaseline.On
theotherendofthespectrum,theemotionalexperienceofaffection,suchasloveorsympathy,
hasbeenassociatedwithadecreaseinHR.Thisphysiologicalresponsereflectsanincreasein
parasympatheticactivityandawithdrawalofsympatheticactivity.WithregardstoEDA,reports
indicateanincreaseinthetonicactivityinskinconductancebutnomentioninthephasic
activity.Thismeansthattheemotionalexperienceofaffectionisuneventfulinthesensethatthe
activityofthesympatheticbranchisrelativelylow.Affectionisclassifiedasapositiveemotion,
andadirectcomparisontoangerillustratesthekeydifferencesinphysiologicalresponses.

Copyright2016VinayaTechnologiesLtd

Quantifyingemotionsisnotaneasytask.Understandingandcomprehendingeachemotionas
anentityunderdifferentcircumstancesisachallenge.However,usingthemeansavailableat
thispoint,thephysiologicaldisplaysofemotioncanstillbeclearlyexamined.Astechnology
progressesandadvancementsinthefieldsofsensorsandmachinelearningtakeplace,more
accuratemeasurementsandclassificationsareimminent.

References

BraithwaiteJ.J.,WatsonG.D.,JonesR.andRowe.M.,2015.Aguideforanalysing
electrodermalactivity(EDA)andskinconductanceresponses(SCRs)forpsychological
experiments
Kreibig,S.D.2010.Autonomicnervoussystemactivityinemotion:Areview.Biological
Psychology.84.394421.
MaussI.B.andRobinsonM.D.2009.Measuresofemotion:Areview.Cogn.Emot.
23(2):209237
McCorry,LaurieKelly.2007.PhysiologyoftheAutonomicNervousSystem.American
JournalofPharmaceuticalEducation71(4).78
MengelkochL.J.,MartinD.andLawlerJ.1994Areviewoftheprinciplesofpulse
oximetryandaccuracyofpulseoximeterestimatesduringexercise.PhysicalTherapy.
74(1).4049

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