An assessment of physiological finger tremor as an indicator of beta-adrenoceptor function.
Physiological finger tremor has been assessed as an indicator of beta-adrenoceptor function. Tremor was not correlated with the sex, age, weight or height of the subjects and was stable over 5 min when the hand and fingers were held horizontally. It was not increased by mental arithmetic, the Valsalva manoeuvre or 3 min exercise. Satisfactory dose-response curves could be constructed for the isoprenaline enhanced increases in finger tremor. In six subjects, practolol 120 mg produced a small shift to the right of the isoprenaline dose-response curve for finger tremor (dose ratio 2.1) but propranolol 40 mg was seven times more effective (dose ratio 17.1). Physiological finger tremor appears to be a stable parameter which may be useful in the investigation of the selectivity of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs.
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D011217:Practolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000502:physiology*; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014202:Tremor / Q000503:physiopathology*
D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D011433:Propranolol; D007545:Isoproterenol; D011217:Practolol