Peripheral and central effects of circulating catecholamines.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing physiological mechanisms without primary empirical data or systematic review methodology.
PubMed 25589262 · doi:10.1002/cphy.c140007
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes existing knowledge on the physiological actions of circulating catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) across peripheral visceral organs, smooth muscles, and central memory pathways during stress.
What was found
The abstract provides no empirical numbers or statistical metrics. It describes the acute physiological effects of adrenergic stimulation (elevated blood pressure, increased cardiac output, relaxation of bronchial and intestinal smooth muscle, mydriasis, increased blood glucose and free fatty acids, and afferent-mediated memory alterations) and notes that sustained elevations contribute to hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Why it matters
It provides a unifying overview of how adaptive acute fight-or-flight neurohormonal signaling transitions into maladaptive cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric disease when elevations are prolonged.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review. No sample size, quantitative effect estimates, or primary experimental data are provided in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) are released in the brain and body during high-arousal situations.