In vivo exposure therapy for phobias is uniquely suited for controlled studies of endocrine and physiologic responses during psychologic stress. In this study, exposure therapy induced significant increases in subjective anxiety, pulse, blood pressure, plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone, but did not change plasma glucagon or pancreatic polypeptide. Although the subjective and behavioral manifestations of anxiety were consistent and intense, the magnitude, consistency, timing, and concordance of endocrine and cardiovascular responses showed considerable variation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The role of sympathetic activity in normal renin essential hypertension.

Understanding the connection between sympathetic activity and essential hypertension is still rudimentary. We studied interrelationships of plasma catecholamines, plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone, sodium intake, and therapeutic response of 20 normal renin hypertensives. Based on plasma norepinephrine (NE), this population fell into two distinct subsets. The 11 patients in the "normal" NE subset had a basal NE of 257 +/- 49 pg/ml (vs 250 +/- 62 pg/ml in normotensives), while nine patients in the "high" range NE group averaged 522 +/- 125 pg/ml. Both NE subsets showed significant correlation between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and NE. Only the "normal" NE subset showed significant correlation between MAP and PRA, and MAP and aldosterone. Correlations between changes in Na+ excretion and NE, PRA, and aldosterone were all negative and statistically significant. Blood pressure was controlled in eight of 11 "normal" NE patients but only in one of nine "high" NE patients by restriction of Na+ intake and/or use of a diuretic.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of psychological factors in pregnancy to progress in labor.

A prospective study of 32 normal, married primigravidas was conducted to determine the relationship between psychological factors in the third trimester of pregnancy and progress in two defined phases of labor. Data were analyzed for the total group and with five subjects deleted to control partially for the effect of medications. Psychological variables measured in pregnancy had significant correlations with variables measured at the onset of phase two labor. Conflict concerning the acceptance of pregnancy showed the most significant relationships to the phase two labor variables with correlations of .39 with anxiety, .59 with plasma epinephrine, -.70 and -.52 with two adjacent Montevideo units, and .58 with length of labor in phase two (3-10 cm cervical dilation). Other pregnancy variables which significantly correlated with the labor variables were identification of a motherhood role, history of psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment, the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and fears related to helplessness, pain, loss of control, and loss of self-esteem. Several psychological variables measured in pregnancy also correlated significantly with length of labor in phase three and type of delivery. The results demonstrate that specific psychological factors in pregnancy are predictive of progress in labor.

Adaptation, Psychological↗