Adrenal cortical stress effects in senility.

Abstract

Five groups of subjects (normal young persons, normal old persons, young persons with functional psychosis, persons with senile dementia and old schizophrenics), each comprising 5 men and 5 women, were blindfolded for one half hour. Samples of blood and saliva were taken immediately before, immediately after and 3 1/2 hours after blindfolding. The sodium-potassium ratio was determined in the saliva and the number of eosinophils was counted in each sample of blood. Prior to blindfolding, young persons with functional psychoses had the highest eosinophil count of all the subjects, the counts of this group being significantly higher than those of normal old persons. Moreover, differences between the former group and normal young subjects or old persons with senile dementia were of borderline significance. In response to blindfolding, normal young subjects showed a significant eosinopenia, as did also the senile dementia patients. However, in the former case, the eosinopenia was apparent immediately after blindfolding, but not 3 to 4 hours later. The senile dementia patients on the other hand presented no immediate eosinopenia but showed a very significant change 3 to 4 hours later. The remaining groups showed no significant change in the number of circulating eosinophils in response to blindfolding. In the case of the salivary Na/K ratio the senile dementia and elderly schizophrenic subjects had significantly higher values than the other groups prior to blindfolding. In response to blindfolding, the normal young subjects showed a significant increase in the Na/K immediately after blindfolding with a return to normal 3 to 4 hours later. On the other hand, old schizophrenics showed a significant decline immediately after blindfolding with a persistence of low values 3 to 4 hours later. All other groups showed no significant change as a result of blindfolding. These studies provided physiological tests for distinguishing senile dementia from schizophrenia in elderly psychotics. Also, because of the inverse relationship between the change in the level of the circulating eosinophils and salivary Na/K ratio on the one hand and the change of the level the sugar- and salt-action hormones of the adrenal cortex on the other, it is suggested that the elderly schizophrenic reacts to blindfolding by an immediate increase in the output of salt-active corticoids, while the senile dementia patients reacts to the same stress by a delayed increase in the output of sugar-active corticoids.