title: Opioid peptide modulation of circulatory and endocrine response to mental stress in humans.
abstract: Healthy subjects were classified according to their percent increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) after mental arithmetic test (MAT) as low (delta SBP 9.3-15.1%, n = 15) and high (delta SBP 35.1-45.4%, n = 15) responders. During MAT, low responders showed significantly (p < 0.01) increased plasma levels of beta-endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines, and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and decreased levels of endothelin-1, whereas high responders showed increased (p < 0.01) levels of Metenkephalin, dynorphin B, and catecholamines. Pretreatment with naloxone hydrochloride enhanced (p < 0.01) SBP, heart rate, noradrenaline, cortisol, and endothelin-1 levels, and reduced (p < 0.01) ANF in low responders in response to MAT, whereas it decreased (p < 0.01) hemodynamic parameters, noradrenaline, and endothelin-1 in high responders. The individual differences in hemodynamic and endocrine responses to MAT may depend on a different activation of the endogenous opioid system.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Speciale Medica e Metodologia Clinica, Ospedale S. Orsola, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Pich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boschi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Iasio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spampinato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grossi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000097:blood; D004723:Endorphins / Q000097:blood; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D004723:Endorphins; D019332:Endothelin-1; D006728:Hormones; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D009270:Naloxone; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D004399:Dynorphins; C036200:rimorphin; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine