Effects of ethanol on cardiovascular and catecholamine responses to mental stress

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ethanol on heart rate, blood pressure and plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline responses to mental stress, involving reactions to anxiety and excitement produced using a cognitive task with electric shock and a competitive electronic game respectively. Twenty subjects were studied, each subject acting as his own control by participating twice, with and without prior ethanol consumption. Mental stress was associated with significant increases in all variables except plasma noradrenaline during the cognitive task. Ethanol raised baseline heart rate and plasma adrenaline, but significantly reduced the responses of these variables to the cognitive task but not to the electronic game. Systolic blood pressure responses to both experimental stressors and diastolic blood pressure responses to the electronic game were also significantly reduced after ethanol. These results may reflect a tension-reducing effect of ethanol in situations associated with anxiety, but suggest a more general effect of ethanol on blood pressure reactivity.