Plasma catecholamines, blood pressure responses and perceived stress during mental arithmetic stress in young men

Abstract

We assessed plasma noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A) at rest during a hyperinsulinaemic glucose clamp and responses to a mental arithmetic stress test (MST) in relation to blood pressure (BP) responses (Finapres) and distress in 20 men with high (≥140/90 mmHg) and 21 men with normal (≤⃒115/75 mmHg) screening BP, 21-24 years of age. Perceived stress, effort and overall discomfort were scored 1-10. Catecholamines and BP increased in both groups, change in diastolic BP (ΔDBP; 9.9 vs. 3.8 mmHg, p < 0.05) and ΔDBP carryover (recovery period minus baseline) (7.2 vs. 2.2 mmHg, p < 0.01) being greater in men with high screening BP. Independently of BP status, change in systolic BP (ΔSBP) and ΔSBP carryover were related to A (both p < 0.001), and ΔDBP and ΔDBP carryover to ΔNA (both p < 0.001). The subjective score sum correlated with maximal NA (r [Formula: See Text] = 0.40) and A (r [Formula: See Text] = 0.37) (both p < 0.05). Maximal NA was independently related to stress (p < 0.05) and the subjective score sum (p < 0.01). ΔA% was greater in the high- (score ≥6) than in the low-stress category, independently of BP status (p < 0.05). High screening BP is associated with impaired BP recovery after mental stress. Plasma catecholamine responses are related to BP responses and carryover effects, and reflect perceived stress in young men.