Circulatory changes during mental stress in tetraplegic and paraplegic man.

In ten patients suffering from complete chronic cervical spinal cord lesion, the effect of mental stress was studied. Before, during and after stress, variations of blood pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamines were tested. The study showed a loss of hemodynamic reactions under mental stress in tetraplegics, namely the pressure response, the typical increase in heart rate and in plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline. It is concluded, that changes in sympathectomized man interfere with the acute hemodynamic stress reaction and impair the blood pressure homeostasis.