[Hormone and metabolism behavior in distress without physical stress]

The psychological effects on cortisol, human growth hormone (HGH), free fatty acids and lactate were investigated in 10 healthy students using a one hour television game. To insure that only the psychological aspects of the game were being measured, hematocrit, creatininkinase, CK-MB and myoglobin were used as controls. The game began 60 minutes after venapuncture of a lower arm vein with an indwelling catheter. Blood samples were taken 30 and 60 minutes after venapuncture, at intervals of 20 minutes during the game and 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the end of the game. After an initial rise, plasma cortisol levels sank steadily and significantly (alpha = 1%). The HGH level initially fell, but as the game progressed, rose and remained at a high level for a considerable period after the game had ended. These variations however were not statistically significant. The three free fatty acids under investigations, myristinic acid (C14), palmitic acid (C16), and stearic acid (C18), all showed similar levels over the course of the experiment. During the first 20 minutes of the play, free fatty acid levels rose, with stearic acid levels rising the most (52%). The free fatty acid levels then sank as the game progressed, with the palmitinic acid level showing a significant decline (alpha = 1%). The other parameters remained relatively constant during the experiment, with the exception of the CK-MB level, which showed severe, hard-to-interpret variations.