AJP - Heart Track the topics, authors and articles important to you
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 261: H1734-H1739, 1991;
0363-6135/91 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kirby, D. A.
Right arrow Articles by Lown, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kirby, D. A.
Right arrow Articles by Lown, B.

AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 261, Issue 6 1734-H1739, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Behavioral arousal enhances inducibility and rate of ventricular tachycardia

D. A. Kirby, J. M. Pinto, S. Hottinger, D. A. Johnson and B. Lown
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.

Behavioral arousal may trigger malignant cardiac arrhythmias. To study the effect of arousal on ventricular tachycardia, pigs were instrumented with catheters to measure mean arterial pressure and sample plasma catecholamines and left anterior descending coronary artery snares for occlusion 1 wk later. Bipolar pacing catheters were placed in the right ventricular apex to induce ventricular tachycardia. One week after occlusion, electrophysiological testing was repeated before and immediately after arousal caused either by restraining and lifting the pig in a canvas sling or by bringing a stall mate into the room. The number of stimuli needed to induce monomorphic ventricular tachycardia was reduced by both types of arousal (P less than 0.05) compared with control conditions. Ventricular tachycardia rate was increased 60 +/- 17 beats/min after lifting stimulation (P less than 0.05). When beta 1-receptor blockade was induced by metoprolol, inducibility of ventricular tachycardia and rate were not different from control. Thus, in pigs, arousal may facilitate arrhythmogenesis. This effect may be mediated by sympathetic neural activity in the heart because it was annulled by beta 1-adrenergic blockade.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 CirculationHome page
R. Lampert, D. Jain, M. M. Burg, W. P. Batsford, and C. A. McPherson
Destabilizing Effects of Mental Stress on Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators
Circulation, January 18, 2000; 101(2): 158 - 164.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
A. Sgoifo, S. F. De Boer, C. Westenbroek, F. W. Maes, H. Beldhuis, T. Suzuki, and J. M. Koolhaas
Incidence of arrhythmias and heart rate variability in wild-type rats exposed to social stress
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, October 1, 1997; 273(4): H1754 - H1760.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online