Cardiovascular and endocrine reactivity in older females: intertask consistency

Psychophysiology. 2001 Nov;38(6):863-72. doi: 10.1111/1469-8986.3860863.

Abstract

Age-related structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular, sympathoadrenomedullary (SAM), and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) systems may affect the ability to reliably identify individual differences in response to stress. Heart rate, preejection period, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, respiratory rate, norepinephrine, epinephrine, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol were assessed in 64 healthy older women (mean = 67 years) in response to a mental arithmetic and public-speaking task. All cardiovascular and endocrine measures changed significantly during the tasks. All measures were consistent across the two tasks (r(s)s = .50 to .97). Moreover, a majority of women in this sample exhibited cross-task consistency in the relative activation of the autonomic, SAM, and HPA systems (i.e., response profiles). Further research is recommended to examine the significance of consistent individual differences in response profile.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aging / physiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System / physiopathology
  • Electrocardiography
  • Endocrine Glands / physiology*
  • Female
  • Hemodynamics / physiology*
  • Hormones / blood
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology
  • Task Performance and Analysis

Substances

  • Hormones