Catecholamines, mood, and cardiovascular control

The research presented in this thesis addresses the above mentioned issue on the basis of four psychophysiological experiments. These experiments were aimed at separately manipulating concentrations of circulating adrenaline and noradrenaline by means of infusions of catecholamines, pharmacological interventions, or psychological (mental stress) challenges in healthy subjects, during studies of the effects on cardiovascular activity and subjective mood. In particular, the dynamics of the cardiovascular system were evaluated in relation to circulating noradrenaline and adrenaline by employing the method of spectral analysis of haemodynamic variables. In order to increase our understanding of the metabolism and renal excretion of catecholamines, special attention was paid to urinary catecholamine metabolites, in relation to altered plasma catecholamine concentrations. In the experiments presented in this thesis, plasma catecholamine concentrations were manipulated by means of pharmacological and psychological challenges. The subjects participating in the studies were healthy young male volunteers, recruited by means of advertisements. All volunteers were subjected to a medical, psychiatric and psychological screening to exclude abnormalities in physical and mental health. Careful attention was paid to the control of confounding factors such as posture, food intake, smoking, and drinking. Where appropriate, endocrine and metabolic parameters were monitored in order to control for the possible effects of our manipulations on these parameter

'I'm Always on the Lookout for What Could be Going Wrong': Mothers' Concepts and Experiences of Health and Illness in Their Young Children

Mothers in contemporary western societies are expected to adhere to the principles of intensive parenting, spending a great deal of time and effort caring for their children, protecting them from risks and promoting their health, development and wellbeing. This paper draws upon research involving indepth interviews with 60 mothers of infants and young children living in Sydney. The discussion focuses in detail on three major topics discussed in the interviews: how the interviewees conceptualised good health and illness in their children; the role of diet and physical exercise in promoting children’s good health; and space, physical safety and bad influences. The study found that the interviewees reported that they ‘read the signs’ of their children’s bodies and had to ‘know’ their bodies intimately in order to do so. They also interpreted the signals of their own bodies – their ‘gut instincts’ – as part of the process of maintaining careful surveillance of their children’s health state. They represented diet and physical exercise as the most important dimensions of promoting their children’s health, and were very concerned about the risk of obesity in their children. Notions of space and judgements about the bodies within these spaces were also important to some of the women’s concepts of protecting their children’s health and wellbeing.Australian Research Council Discovery Gran

Sleep patterns in congenital dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency

Sleep patterns of two young female patients with congenital dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency are described. In this orthostatic syndrome central and peripheral noradrenergic failure occurs as a result of impaired beta-hydroxylation of dopamine. Consequently, the levels of dopamine and its metabolites are elevated. The relative importance of noradrenaline deficit in the face of dopamine excess for sleep-regulatory mechanisms can be inferred from the sleep pattern of these patients. No subjective sleep complaints were reported. The sleep patterns showed a high percentage of slow-wave sleep in both patients (29% and 34% of sleep period time) and a relatively low to normal percentage of REM sleep (18% and 21%). A normal cyclic REM sleep pattern was observed. Alpha-delta sleep occurred during light sleep (15% and 8%); consequently, the amount of stage 2 sleep was reduced. These results indicate that functional insufficiency of the noradrenergic system in two patients with dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency is not associated with profound changes in the (REM) sleep pattern. This supports a modulatory or permissive role for noradrenaline in REM sleep mechanisms