Short-term reproducibility of a mental arithmetic stress test

1991 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 593-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sverker Jern ◽  
Martin Pilhall ◽  
Christina Jern ◽  
Sven G. Carlsson
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine Concentrations

1. To evaluate the short-term reproducibility of heart rate, oscillometrically determined blood pressure, ante-cubital venous plasma catecholamine concentrations and subjective responses to strictly standardized mental arithmetic, we performed two identical tests 1 h apart in 14 young, healthy and normotensive male subjects (age 22–35 years) 2. Heart rate and blood pressure responses to the two stress tests were highly correlated, when expressed both as correlations between levels attained during stress (rs >0.80 throughout) and as absolute reactivity measures (all rs >0.75). Also, subjective stress responses were highly correlated, when considering both levels during stress and reactivity (r = 0.97 and r = 0.85, respectively). Stress levels of catecholamines were correlated, but the change scores (reactivity) were unrelated. 3. The measurement error sd for heart rate was 2.6 and 3.0 beats/min for reactivity and stress levels, respectively. The corresponding sd for blood pressure ranged between 2.7 and 4.4 mmHg. Subjective stress experience showed an sd of a similar magnitude. The responses of plasma catecholamine concentrations were subject to considerable variability. 4. It is concluded that haemodynamic and subjective stress responses and stress levels during the mental arithmetic stress test show acceptable reproducibility and high test-retest correlations. However, stress-induced changes in venous plasma catecholamine concentrations show low reproducibility.

Pentobarbital effects on plasma catecholamines: temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure

1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (1) ◽  
pp. E95-E100 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Baum ◽  
J. B. Halter ◽  
G. J. Taborsky ◽  
D. Porte
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Sympathetic Nervous System ◽  
Rectal Temperature ◽  
Plasma Catecholamines ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine ◽  
Sympathetic Nervous ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine Concentrations

The effects of intravenous pentobarbital were studied in dogs. Plasma pentobarbital concentrations were inversely related to epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations. Plasma catecholamines appeared fully suppressed at pentobarbital levels greater than 25-30 micrograms/ml. Furthermore, pentobarbital levels were negatively related to rectal temperature, heart rate, and mean blood pressure. The methods of pentobarbital administration influenced plasma pentobarbital as well as epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. These observations suggest the possibility that pentobarbital inhibits the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn may affect temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Because pentobarbital anesthesia affects plasma catecholamine concentrations, the regimen used in animal models requires consideration when interpreting data potentially influenced by the sympathetic nervous system.

scholarly journals Who’s the boss: determining the control pathways of cardiovascular and cellular immune responses to acute stress

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 374-379
Author(s):  
Kate M. Edwards ◽  
Nathan B. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Autonomic Response ◽  
Blood Pressure Responses

Acute stress responses are known to include increases in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as increases in the number of circulating immune cells, all of which are governed by the autonomic nervous system. This laboratory practical measures cardiovascular and circulating immune cell responses to a passive (cold pressor) and active (mental arithmetic) acute stress task in student participants. The results allow them to examine the different patterns of autonomic response they elicit (approximated by heart rate and blood pressure responses), and knowledge of these responses can then be used to infer the governing autonomic aspect of the increases in circulating immune cells from the results. This activity can be either adapted from teacher-led methods to inquiry, asking students to design the details of the acute stress tasks, or developed by asking students to design a follow-up experiment that could be used to provide direct evidence for their conclusions. Data collected provide a platform for teaching data analysis and interpretation, as well as critical thinking.

Autonomic Regulation during Rest and Mental Load in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome

1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. M. Tulen ◽  
B. J. M. van de Wetering ◽  
F. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Color Word ◽  
Plasma Catecholamines ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine ◽  
Cardiovascular Activity ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine Concentrations

Cardiovascular and catecholaminergic activity during mental load were studied in patients with Tourette syndrome. Patients and controls performed the Color Word Test, preceded by a baseline period, with continuous measurements of heart rate and blood pressure. Blood samples for assay of plasma catecholamine concentrations were obtained before and during the test. The patients showed higher heart rate and blood pressure during baseline than controls, but no differences regarding plasma catecholamines. The tics corresponded with transient increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Spectral analysis of cardiovascular variability during mental load gave only limited evidence of increased sympathetic activity and no alterations in parasympathetic activity in the patients. Therefore, our findings indicate enhanced cardiovascular activity in the patients but not during mental load. The effects of tics on the cardiovascular parameters illustrate the functional complexity of the autonomic nervous system in Tourette syndrome.

scholarly journals An Online Trier Social Stress Paradigm to Evoke Affective and Cardiovascular Responses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Marie DuPont ◽  
Sarah Pressman ◽  
Rebecca G Reed ◽  
Anna Marsland ◽  
Stephen N. Manuck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Condition ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Cardiovascular Responses ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Good Test

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, prior studies have modified the Trier Social Stress Test to be conducted remotely. The current report aimed to extend these studies to test whether a remote Trier Social Stress Test (rTSST) can elicit (a) affective, (b) blood pressure, and (c) heart rate responses relative to a control condition and whether these responses were reliable when assessed one week later. Participants (N = 99, 19.7 ± 3.5 years, 55% female) were randomized to a control or stress condition. Controls completed easier versions of the tasks with a single, friendly researcher. Stress participants performed more difficult versions of the task in front of two judges who participants believed were rating their performance. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured every two minutes throughout, while affect was assessed at baseline, after the final task, and following recovery. The rTSST was feasible to administer with minimal technical issues reported. Results suggest that lower positive affect and higher negative affect were reported during the tasks in the stress condition relative to controls. Similarly, stress participants had higher cardiovascular responses during the tasks relative to controls, except that blood pressure was not elevated during mental arithmetic in stress participants relative to controls. Cardiovascular responses demonstrated good test-retest reliability when assessed one week later, especially when computed using area under the curve methods. Overall, a rTSST can be used to elicit affective and cardiovascular reactivity and provides an opportunity to include participants previously unreachable for in-person laboratory procedures.

Prophylactic use of intravenous tramadol vs intravenous nalbuphine for control of postspinal shivering after knee arthroscopy: a randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Fahmy ◽  
I M Esmat ◽  
T Shabana ◽  
M S M Etman
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Knee Arthroscopy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Saline Group ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plasma Catecholamine Concentrations

Abstract Background Post-anesthetic shivering refers to spontaneous, involuntary, rhythmic, oscillating and tremor-like muscle hyperactivity that increases metabolic heat production up to 600% after general or regional anesthesia. Shivering is not only subjectively unpleasant but is physiologically stressful because it elevates blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and plasma catecholamine concentrations. Moreover, shivering may aggravate pain and hinder wound closure by simply stretching surgical incisions. Objective The aim of this work is to compare the efficacy of intravenous tramadol VS nalbuphine for prevention of post spinal shivering during knee arthroscopy. Methods This prospective randomized double blinded study was carried in Ain Shams University hospitals on 90 patients scheduled for knee arthroscopy. Patients were randomized into three groups 30 patients each: Group C: patients received normal saline 0.9%) intravenously. Group T: Patients received Tramadol 0.5 mg/kg intravenously. Group N: Patients received nalbuphine 0.1mg/kg intravenously. All drugs were given immediately after intra thecal injection of the anaesthetic drugs and returning to the supine position. Results The study revealed that the incidence of shivering was less in the tramadol (23.3%) and nalbuphine (26.7%) groups compared to the saline group (56.7%) (P < 0.05) with no significant difference between Nalbuphine and Tramadol groups (p > 0.05). The mean grade of shivering was comparable between the three groups (P > 0.05). Shivering onset was significantly earlier in the saline group (24.1±2.9 min) compared to Nalbuphine (32.3±4.9min) and Tramadol (36.4±4.3min) groups (P < 0.05) with no significant difference between Nalbuphine and Tramadol groups (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences among the three groups as regards hemodynamics (Heart rate and mean blood pressure), respiratory rate, oxygen saturations, body temperature, the incidence of nausea or vomiting (P > 0.05). While sedation grade was significantly highest in Nalbuphine group followed by Tramadol group and least in Saline group (P < 0.001). Conclusion The current study revealed that both tramadol 0.5mg/kg and balbuphine 0.1mg/kg was effective in prevention of post spinal shivering in patients undergoing knee arthroscopy.

scholarly journals Maternal B12, Folate and Homocysteine Concentrations and Offspring Cortisol and Cardiovascular Responses to Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (7) ◽  
pp. e2591-e2599
Author(s):  
Ghattu V Krishnaveni ◽  
Sargoor R Veena ◽  
Matt Johnson ◽  
Kalyanaraman Kumaran ◽  
Alexander Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Vitamin B12 ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Total Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Cardiovascular Responses ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Plasma Vitamin

Abstract Context Imbalances in maternal 1-carbon nutrients (vitamin B12, folate) have been shown to be associated with higher offspring cardiometabolic risk markers in India. Objective We examined the hypothesis that low plasma vitamin B12 (B12) and high folate and homocysteine concentrations in the mother are associated with higher hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (cortisol) and cardiovascular responses during the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C) in an Indian birth cohort. Methods Adolescents (n = 264; mean age: 13.6 years), whose mothers’ plasma B12, folate and total homocysteine concentrations had been measured during pregnancy, completed 5-minutes each of public speaking and mental arithmetic tasks in front of 2 unfamiliar “judges” (TSST-C). Baseline and poststress salivary cortisol concentrations were measured. Heart rate, blood pressure, stroke volume, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were measured continuously at baseline, during the TSST-C, and for 10 minutes after the TSST-C using a finger cuff; beat-to-beat values were averaged for these periods, respectively. Results Maternal low B12 status (plasma B12 < 150 pmol/L) was associated with greater cortisol responses to stress in the offspring (P < .001). Higher homocysteine concentrations were associated with greater offspring heart rate response (P < .001). After adjustment for multiple comparisons, there were nonsignificant associations between higher maternal folate concentrations and offspring total peripheral resistance response (P = .01). Conclusion Our findings suggest that maternal 1-carbon nutritional status may have long-term programming implications for offspring neuroendocrine stress responses.

scholarly journals Influence of a Suggestive Placebo Intervention on Psychobiological Responses to Social Stress

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Zimmermann-Viehoff ◽  
Nico Steckhan ◽  
Karin Meissner ◽  
Hans-Christian Deter ◽  
Clemens Kirschbaum
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Placebo Intervention

We tested the hypothesis that a suggestive placebo intervention can reduce the subjective and neurobiological stress response to psychosocial stress. Fifty-four healthy male subjects with elevated levels of trait anxiety were randomly assigned in a 4:4:1 fashion to receive either no treatment (n = 24), a placebo pill (n = 24), or a herbal drug (n = 6) before undergoing a stress test. We repeatedly measured psychological variables as well as salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and heart rate variability prior to and following the stress test. The stressor increased subjective stress and anxiety, salivary cortisol, and alpha-amylase, and decreased heart rate variability (all P < .001). However, no significant differences between subjects receiving placebo or no treatment were found. Subjects receiving placebo showed increased wakefulness during the stress test compared with no-treatment controls ( P < .001). Thus, the suggestive placebo intervention increased alertness, but modulated neither subjective stress and anxiety nor the physiological response to psychosocial stress.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document