Abstract
In a continuing investigation on the relationship of afferent neural pathways to physiological rhythmicity, 37 hospitalised human subjects were studied: 7 were healthy and 30 had a complete cervical spinal cord transection (tetraplegics). The healthy subjects, stressed on day 3 and kept supine on days 5, 6 and 7, maintained no regular activity or sleep schedules. Eight tetraplegics had been paralysed for less than 2 months (acute), 12 for 2 to 10 months (subacute), and 10 for more than 10 months (chronic). Fluid balance and urinary excretion of sodium (Na), potassium (K), aldosterone, 17 hydroxycorticosteroids (17 OHCS), epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE) and methoxyhydroxymandelic acid (MHMA), were determined every 6 hours for 6 or 7 days. The raw data were transformed to percentage of daily output. Evaluation of daily rhythms for each consecutive day for each group shows: (1) significant rhythms in fluid balance, Na, K and 17 OHCS excretion for the healthy group; (2) significant rhythms only in fluid balance and K excretion for the tetraplegic groups; (3) no significant rhythms in aldosterone, E, NE and MHMA excretion for any group. In previous studies evaluation of daily rhythm on similarly transformed data pooled together as 1 day for each subject shows: (1) normal and significant rhythms in Na excretion in chronic tetraplegics; (2) significant rhythms in 17 OHCS excretion for all tetraplegics although the crest occurred later than normal; (3) no aldosterone excretory rhythms in tetraplegics even after tilt table exercises but significant ones in non-hospitalised healthy subjects; (4) significant rhythms in E, NE and MHMA excretion in chronic tetraplegics although the crest occurred later than normal. Combined evaluation of data indicates that interruption of afferent neural pathways does not influence fluid balance and K excretory rhythms, modifies excretory rhythms of Na and 17 OHCS and suppresses those of aldosterone. Weak daily rhythms of excretion of E, NE and MHMA were disclosed in hospitalised chronic tetraplegics due to the regularity of their activities.
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Supported by Project RT4 from the Social Rehabilitation Services, and Project NS08042-03, from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
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Claus-Walker, J., Campos, R., Carter, R. et al. Longitudinal analyses of daily excretory rhythms in men with tetraplegia due to cervical spinal cord transection. Spinal Cord 10, 142–152 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1972.24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1972.24