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Biomedical subjects

W F Fry

Publications and source records attributed to W F Fry.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Neuroendocrine and stress hormone changes during mirthful laughter.

Positive emotional activities have been suggested as modifiers of neuroendocrine hormones involved in the classical stress response. To detect changes in these components during a mirthful laughter experience, the authors studied 10 healthy male subjects. Five experimental subjects viewed a 60 minute humor video and five control subjects did not. Serial blood samples were measured for corticotropin (ACTH), cortisol, beta-endorphin, 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid (dopac)--the major serum neuronal catabolite of dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, growth hormone, and prolactin. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that cortisol and dopac in the experimental group decreased more rapidly from baseline than the control group (p = 0.011, p = 0.025, respectively). Epinephrine levels in the experimental group were significantly lower than the control at all time points (p = 0.017). Growth hormone levels in the experimental group significantly increased during baseline (p = 0.027) and then decreased with laughter intervention (p less than 0.0005), whereas, the controls did not change over time (p = 0.787). ACTH, beta-endorphin, prolactin, and norepinephrine levels did not significantly increase. The mirthful laughter experience appears to reduce serum levels of cortisol, dopac, epinephrine, and growth hormone. These biochemical changes have implications for the reversal of the neuroendocrine and classical stress hormone response.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1978

Paranoid episodes in manic-depressive psychoses.

The author reports on 7 patients with a primary diagnosis of manic-depressive psychosis who had brief but well-defined episodes of paranoid symptomatology. These episodes apparently represent alterations of psychic defense structure during the dynamic flow of the psychosis toward recovery. In manic-depressive psychosis, with its genetic and physiologic components, the paranoid episodes reaffirm the unitary nature of humans, in whom heredity and physical and psychological factors inextricably interact.

Adaptation, Psychological↗