Physiologic responses to noxious head stimuli

Abstract

1. (1) Twenty-eight male medical students were subjected to experimental intense noxious stimulation of the head. Three categories of physiological responses were measured before and during the experimental period. 2. (2) Significant mean differences were found between the prestimulus and stimulus periods in the respiratory variables of alveolar ventilation, oxygen consumption, alveolar carbon dioxide concentration, and respiratory rate. In the cardiovascular responses, mean differences were found in systolic and diastolic blood pressures and skin temperature, but not in heart rate. No mean differences were found in the creatinine excretion rate and the catecholamine metabolite excretion rates of normetadrenaline ( NMA) and metadrenaline ( MA). 3. (3) The absence of mean catecholamine metabolite changes with the noxious stimulation, despite behavioral, emotional, and physiological activation, is attributed to elevated pre-stimulus levels and/or insensitivity of these urinary metabolites. 4. (4) The lack of intercorrelations in the changes within and between categories of physiological responses in attributed to individualistic response style patterns and interpreted to indicate the ability of the individual to ‘fragment’ and ‘channelize’ functions in terms of his own protective or adaptive, metabolic and behavioral needs.