NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSES TO EMOTIONAL AROUSAL IN NORMAL WOMEN

The neuroendocrine effects of many stressful challenges and experiment ally induced emotional states have been investigated in humans, but fe w data are available concerning the psychobiological correlates of the emotional arousal induced by TV violence, fear and conflictual emotio ns. In this study we evaluated cardiovascular, hormonal and mood chang es induced by the view of a violent or, in random order, neutral movie in 20 healthy young women. The emotional arousal was associated with a significant increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure and sign ificant changes in self-evaluated mood states, beta-Endorphin, adrenoc orticotrophic hormone, epinephrine and growth hormone showed a signifi cant increase during emotional arousal, with a significant interaction mood-time, Cortisol increased significantly during the violent movie (areas under curves analysis), but not significant interaction mood-ti me has been demonstrated. Prolactin and norepinephrine levels did not show a significant change during the emotional stimulus, Our data evid ence the existence of neuroendocrine changes associated with the defen ce mechanism and aroused by movie violence and conflictual situations.