FREE PLASMA-CATECHOLAMINE LEVELS IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS - A BASAL AND DYNAMIC STUDY - THE INFLUENCE OF AGE

We studied the levels of free plasma noradrenaline (norepinephrine, NE ), adrenaline (epinephrine, E), and dopamine (DA) in 143 normal subjec ts, either basally or, in a part of them, in response to four tests st imulating the sympatho-adrenomedullary activity: the tilt-table test ( TTT), the cold-pressor test (CPF), the mental-arithmetic test (MAT), a nd the insulin tolerance test (ITT). In both cases we evaluated the in fluence of age, which is considered the main physiological variable af fecting the peripheral sympathetic activity. A normal distribution of values was observed, in the basal study, only for NE, while E and part icularly, DA levels were distributed in an non-homogeneous fashion; a direct correlation was observed between age of subjects and NE levels, while neither E, nor DA levels showed any correlation with the aging process; sex did not influence any of the catecholamines. In the dynam ic study, CPT, ITT and, above all, TTT elicited a significant rise in NE levels, while the E release was greatly stimulated by the insulin-i nduced hypoglycaemia. Neither NE, nor E levels rose after the MAT stim ulation. Also in this case, the elderly showed an increased noradrener gic responsiveness when compared with the young subjects, confirming t he existence of an 'up-regulation' of the peripheral sympathetic tone in old people.