Key result
Advanced age was associated with decreased sympathetic activation measured by skin potential reflex amplitude and habituation, while serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity showed no difference.
Why the study?
Do skin potential reflex and serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity differ between healthy aged and young subjects?
Cross-Sectional (n=50)
Do skin potential reflex and serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity differ between healthy aged and young subjects?
The study suggests that sympathetic activation level, as measured by skin potential reflex, decreases with age, despite no changes in serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Reduced skin potential reflex in advanced age may warrant age-specific autonomic norms; hypothesis-generating for dopamine-beta-hydroxylase as a biomarker.
In order to investigate the sympathetic nervous function of the aged, the skin potential reflex (SPR) and serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity (SDBH) were examined in 25 healthy aged and 25 healthy young subjects. In the case of SPR, the reflex to sound stimuli was analyzed and the following results were obtained: (1) the aged group habituated more rapidly than the young group, (2) the amplitude of the SPR in the aged group was lower than that of the young, and (3) the negative wave of the SPR appeared more dominantly in the aged than in the young group. These results indicated that the sympathetic activation level of the aged decreased in comparison with that of the young. On the other hand, SDBH showed no difference between the aged and young. This discrepancy between the SPR and SDBH is discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Nomura et al. (1981) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=50). Advanced age vs. Young age was evaluated on Skin potential reflex (SPR) and serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity (SDBH). Advanced age was associated with decreased sympathetic activation measured by skin potential reflex amplitude and habituation, while serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity showed no difference.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: