Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to extended laboratory challenge.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 2-hour laboratory challenge on heart rate, blood pressure, catecholamines, and cortisol; and investigate the contribution of the physical act of speaking on both neuroendocrine and cardiovascular measures. Using a within-subjects design, 14 subjects were tested individually during two separate laboratory sessions. During one session, subjects engaged in two cognitively demanding tasks for 2 hours. During the other session, subjects executed the verbal demands of the tasks for 2 hours, but cognitive demands were absent. During both sessions, blood pressure and heart rate were measured and arterialized blood samples were obtained for the measurement of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. Subjects demonstrated significantly greater increases in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, epinephrine, and cortisol during the cognitively challenging session than during the control session. It is concluded that sustained elevations in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine measures can be achieved in the laboratory, and that the effects of such tasks cannot be attributed solely to the physical demands of speaking. Implications for the measurement of circulating catecholamines and cortisol during laboratory studies are discussed.

Hypertriglyceridaemia in mild hypertension: impact on cardiovascular and hormonal reactivity under different stress tests

“…In addition, the response of the adrenal cortex to ACTH stimulation was significantly diminished in group H+HTG. These findings are in agreement with the suggestion that hypertension is associated with altered neuroendocrine responsiveness to stress situations, 16,25,26 especially with the hypothalamic-pituitary-suprarenal axis in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome.…”

Psychological Stress and Neuroendocrine Function in Humans: The Last Two Decades of Research

“…In a well-designed, controlled investigation, McCann et al [46]studied a sample of 14 healthy men, aged 21–49 years (mean age 31.8 years). The Stroop color-word interference test was administered 8 times during the first hour of stress session, whereas a paced auditory serial addition task was administered 5 times during the second hour.…”

“…Since the experiment was carried out in the morning, the observed decrease in cortisol levels corresponds to established circadian patterns. Norepinephrine levels increased significantly during both sessions, with higher levels during the stress session than during the control one, although the difference did not reach statistical significance [46]. These findings clearly illustrate that the degree of cognitive effort required for a laboratory task represents an important modulator of the psychoendocrine response.…”

A Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task evokes stress and differential effects on masseter‐muscle activity and haemodynamics

“…Also, Hidaka et al (19) used a long-term stressor and found notable haemodynamic changes and little EMG change in the masseter muscle. Mental arithmetic, such as the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) (20), is well recognized to induce circulatory reactions resembling the classical defense reaction and has been widely utilized as a laboratory psychological stressor (21).…”