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CompletedNCT00001329Updated Mar 4, 2008

Study of Norepinephrine Levels and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

An observational study in Autonomic Nervous System Disease, Healthy and Hypertension, sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Completed at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-03-04.

Sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) · Observational

Study type
Observational
Enrollment
50
Sex
All
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Study summary

Brain and nerve cells communicate with each other by releasing and picking up chemicals called neurotransmitters. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter used by part of the nervous system activated during stress called the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is involved with regulating blood pressure and pulse rate. Researchers believe the level norepinephrine in the blood can be used to measure activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

This study is designed to answer important questions about rates of release of norepinephrine into the blood stream, removal of released norepinephrine, and the sympathetic nervous system response to stress.

Researchers will attempt to measure levels of norepinephrine and activity of the sympathetic nervous system in patients with high blood pressure, normal patients with family histories of high blood pressure, patients taking drugs that can effect levels of norepinephrine, and patients with diseases or conditions directly affecting the sympathetic nervous system.

Read the detailed description

In order to examine sympathetic nervous system function in neurocardiological disorders and catecholaminergic effects of dietary manipulations or neuropsychiatric drugs, the protocol calls for evaluations of the kinetics of 3H-norepinephrine or 3H-epinephrine in patients with hypertension, dysautonomias, or disorders thought to involve abnormal catecholaminergic function, and in normotensive normal volunteers. Apparent spillover and clearance rates are estimated based on the norepinephrine or epinephrine concentration during the infusion and their steady-state specific activities, under resting conditions and in response to physiological or pharmacological manipulations thought to affect sympathetic outflows.

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Conditions studied

  • Autonomic Nervous System Disease
  • Healthy
  • Hypertension

Keywords

  • Yohimbine
  • Catecholamines
  • Sympathoadrenal Response
  • Sympathetic Nervous System
  • Stress
  • Hypertension
  • Autonomic Failure
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In context

Nervous System Diseases

974 studies on the registry are indexed under Nervous System Diseases; 252 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 50 is below the median of 127 across 318 observational studies indexed under Nervous System Diseases.

Browse Nervous System Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is the lead sponsor of 592 studies on the registry; 56 are open to participants now.

Of its 18 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 8 (44%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Eligibility criteria

Must be greater than or equal to 18 years of age.

Must not be pregnant or lactating.

05

Study design

Enrollment
50 participants
06

Study locations

1 site
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Goldstein DS, Horwitz D, Keiser HR, Polinsky RJ, Kopin IJ. Plasma l-[3H]norepinephrine, d-[14C]norepinephrine, and d,l-[3H]isoproterenol kinetics in essential hypertension. J Clin Invest. 1983 Nov;72(5):1748-58. doi: 10.1172/JCI111134. PubMed 6630523 ↗
  • Rea RF, Eckberg DL, Fritsch JM, Goldstein DS. Relation of plasma norepinephrine and sympathetic traffic during hypotension in humans. Am J Physiol. 1990 Apr;258(4 Pt 2):R982-6. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1990.258.4.R982. PubMed 2331039 ↗
  • Goldstein DS, Eisenhofer G, Stull R, Folio CJ, Keiser HR, Kopin IJ. Plasma dihydroxyphenylglycol and the intraneuronal disposition of norepinephrine in humans. J Clin Invest. 1988 Jan;81(1):213-20. doi: 10.1172/JCI113298. PubMed 3335637 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 4, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00001329
Lead sponsor
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
First posted
Nov 4, 1999
Start date
Sep 1992
Completion
Sep 2002
Last update
Mar 4, 2008
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2002. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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