Observations on Blood Pressure and Other Physiologic and Biochemical Mechanisms in Rats with Behavioral Disturbances

Abstract

Rats were exposed to different types of conditioning procedures, which were designed to evoke chronic anxiety, and the effects on blood pressure and heart weight were investigated. Gastric and thyroid function, and changes in adrenal size were also studied.

Chronic organic disease did not develop in the animals in any of the studies. There was evidence, however, that existing hypertensive vascular disease could be aggravated. The results suggest that Cannon's “emergency response” and/or the general adaptation syndrome may not constitute adequate etiologic hypotheses for chronic psychosomatic disease and indicate the need for greater empiricism in psychophysiologic research.