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

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 (greater than or equal to140/90 mmHg) and 21 men with normal ( less than or equal to115/75 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 (DeltaDBP; 9.9 vs. 3.8 mmHg, p < 0.05) and DeltaDBP 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 (DeltaSBP) and DeltaSBP carryover were related to A ( both p < 0.001), and DeltaDBP and DeltaDBP carryover to DeltaNA ( both p < 0.001). The subjective score sum correlated with maximal NA (r(s) = 0.40) and A (r(s) = 0.37) ( both p < 0.05). Maximal NA was independently related to stress ( p < 0.05) and the subjective score sum ( p < 0.01). Delta A% was greater in the high- ( score greater than or equal to 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. Key words: blood pressure, catecholamines, heart rate, hypertension, psychological stress, sympathetic nervous system.