Psychosomatic Medicine 22:294-307 (1960)
© 1960 American Psychosomatic Society

Autonomic Response Patterns During Intravenous Infusion of Epinephrine and Nor-epinephrine

¹ Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles and the University of California Medical Center Los Angeles

Eleven male college students received infusions of epinephrine and nor-epinephrine. Blood pressure was sampled once a minute, and the following were recorded continuously: heart rate; respiration rate; palmar skin conductance; finger pulse volume; finger, face, and axillary temperatures; heart stroke-volume; stomach motility; and salivary output. Each drug was given in a separate experimental session in three 5-minute infusion periods, 2 at 20 drops per min. and one at 40 drops per min. preceded and followed by infusion of saline solution.

Statistically significant differences between the maximum responses to epinephrine and nor-epinephrine were found in diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, finger pulse volume, finger temperature, face temperature, and heart stroke-volume. Epinephrine produced a marked increase in both heart rate and stroke-volume while nor-epinephrine produced a decrease in both. The vasoconstrictor action of nor-epinephrine was inferred to be greater upon the blood vessels supplying the skeletal musculature but less than that of epinephrine upon the blood vessels of the skin.