title: Noradrenaline response to edrophonium in primary autonomic failure: distinction between central and peripheral damage.
abstract: The effects of intravenous edrophonium on plasma noradrenaline were studied in 12 subjects with primary autonomic failure. 5 had clinical features of central autonomic damage, 4 with parkinsonism (PD) and 1 with multiple system atrophy (MSA); the other 7 had clinical features of progressive autonomic failure without detectable central neurological damage (PAF). After edrophonium all but 1 subject showed falls in heart rate of about 6 beats/min; there were no consistent blood pressure changes. The 5 PD/MSA patients all had normal plasma noradrenaline responses to edrophonium, with rises of 35-66% within 2-8 min of injection. 6 of the 7 PAF patients had no response or very small responses (-6 to +11%), while the other subject had a normal response (70% rise). The noradrenaline response to edrophonium may provide a simple way to differentiate between central and peripheral autonomic damage.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004491:Edrophonium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D011187:Posture; D012018:Reflex
chemical_list: D004491:Edrophonium; D009638:Norepinephrine