Study of Norepinephrine Levels and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Plasma Catecholamine Kinetics

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00001329
• Other study ID #: 920259
• Secondary ID: 92-N-0259
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: November 3, 1999
• Last updated: March 3, 2008
• Start date: September 1992
• Est. completion date: September 2002

Study information

• Verified date: September 2002
• Source: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal Government
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Brain and nerve cells communicate with each other by releasing and picking up chemicals called neurotransmitters. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter used by part of the nervous system activated during stress called the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is involved with regulating blood pressure and pulse rate. Researchers believe the level norepinephrine in the blood can be used to measure activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

This study is designed to answer important questions about rates of release of norepinephrine into the blood stream, removal of released norepinephrine, and the sympathetic nervous system response to stress.

Researchers will attempt to measure levels of norepinephrine and activity of the sympathetic nervous system in patients with high blood pressure, normal patients with family histories of high blood pressure, patients taking drugs that can effect levels of norepinephrine, and patients with diseases or conditions directly affecting the sympathetic nervous system.

Description:

In order to examine sympathetic nervous system function in neurocardiological disorders and catecholaminergic effects of dietary manipulations or neuropsychiatric drugs, the protocol calls for evaluations of the kinetics of 3H-norepinephrine or 3H-epinephrine in patients with hypertension, dysautonomias, or disorders thought to involve abnormal catecholaminergic function, and in normotensive normal volunteers. Apparent spillover and clearance rates are estimated based on the norepinephrine or epinephrine concentration during the infusion and their steady-state specific activities, under resting conditions and in response to physiological or pharmacological manipulations thought to affect sympathetic outflows.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 50
• Est. completion date: September 2002
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Must be greater than or equal to 18 years of age.

Must not be pregnant or lactating.

Study Design

N/A

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autonomic Nervous System Disease
• Autonomic Nervous System Diseases
• Healthy
• Hypertension
• Nervous System Diseases
• Primary Dysautonomias

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)	Bethesda	Maryland

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (3)

Goldstein DS, Eisenhofer G, Stull R, Folio CJ, Keiser HR, Kopin IJ. Plasma dihydroxyphenylglycol and the intraneuronal disposition of norepinephrine in humans. J Clin Invest. 1988 Jan;81(1):213-20. — View Citation

Goldstein DS, Horwitz D, Keiser HR, Polinsky RJ, Kopin IJ. Plasma l-[3H]norepinephrine, d-[14C]norepinephrine, and d,l-[3H]isoproterenol kinetics in essential hypertension. J Clin Invest. 1983 Nov;72(5):1748-58. — View Citation

Rea RF, Eckberg DL, Fritsch JM, Goldstein DS. Relation of plasma norepinephrine and sympathetic traffic during hypotension in humans. Am J Physiol. 1990 Apr;258(4 Pt 2):R982-6. — View Citation