METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR CHANGES DURING A STATE OF ACUTE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AROUSAL*

Abstract

Measurements of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and glucose levels, urinary excretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, heart rate, and blood pressure were made in 20 students undergoing a major fifteen-minute scholastic examination. Similar measurements were made on a non-test day. Marked increases in plasma FFA concentration occurred in all 20 students during the examination. Plasma glucose concentration also rose. The urinary excretion of adrenaline increased in all subjects. Urinary excretion of noradrenaline varied sporadically. The heart rate increased in all. Several students had marked tachycardia (120 to 166 beats per minute). Independent post-examination assessment of affect arousal indicated varying degrees of response. A rating of affect arousal was correlated to some extent with the level of the heart rate and with the magnitude of the increases in serum FFA and glucose levels and in the urinary excretion of adrenaline. These acute changes suggest that lipolysis may be a companion process to glycogenolysis as part of the organism''s response to arousal.