Psychopharmacological aspects of emotional stress
Val'dman, A.V.
Vestnik Akademii Meditsinskikh Nauk SSSR 1975(8): 26-33
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-3027 PMID: 240241 Document Number: 84151
The effects of psychotropic medicines upon cardiovascular reactions concomitant with emotional stress induced in cats, rabbits and dogs by electrostimulation of emotiogeneic zones of the hypothalamus, or of psychogenic stress under conditions of a chronic experiment, were studied. Tranquilizing doses of the compounds studied did not inhibit cardiovascular reactions caused by activation of the diencephalic zones of defense, demonstrating a considerable resistance of the substrates of emotional manifestation to psychodepressant action. In psychogenic activation emotional strain mechanisms, the tranquilizing effect of psychotropic substances was accompanied with lowered tonic hypertensive reactions. Vegetative support of motor reactions was not impaired. Tonic hypertensive shifts caused by repeated psychogenic stress-effects were inhibited with small doses of psychodepressants. Activation of emotiogenic hypothalamic zones disturbed the depressor baroreceptive mechanisms, and sedative doses of barbiturates restored autoregulation of arterial pressure. A hypotensive preparation with central action, katapressan, produces a psychosedative effect which inhibits cardiovascular manifestations of the emotional-stress reaction without affecting vegetative reactions induced by electrostimulation of the hypothalamus.