Responses of serum noradrenaline (NA) levels to standing up were determined in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) examining 15 patients and 13 healthy subjects of similar age in order to obtain information about autonomic failure in PD. Mild symptoms of autonomic dysfunction were found in all the patients. The mean (± SD) increment of serum NA levels as a response to standing up of patients was 0.11 ± 0.29 nmol/1 and that of the controls 1.09 ± 1.15, the percentage rises being 5.4 ± 12.1 and 38.2 ± 35.0, respectively. These results indicate that serum NA responses to standing up in patients with PD are significantly diminished describing a sympathetic nervous system deficit in PD.

Changes in catecholamines (CA) in the plasma and urine and metabolites of CA and serotonin (5-HT) in the cerebrospinal fluid of guinea-pigs in hypothermia (Trec 30 degrees C) and after subsequent rewarming were determined with HPLC in order to obtain data on early stress reactions and their timing. Both noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A) were low in the plasma but high in the urine after the hypothermic period. These had normalized in the plasma after rewarming but were still high in the urine. Dopamine values tended to be low (not significant). Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol and homovanilic acid were elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid both after hypothermia and following rewarming, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid after rewarming. The ratio of adrenaline to noradrenaline, the catecholamine hypothermia index, in the urine had risen 24-fold after hypothermia and 40-fold after rewarming. The results support the view that elevated catecholamine concentrations in the urine and elevated values of their metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid could be regarded as hypothermia markers. However, other stress conditions, which have lasted at least a few hours, should be excluded in the final interpretation.

Concentrations of catecholamines in vitreous fluid and urine in guinea pigs dying of cold and the effects of freezing and autolysis on these parameters were studied. The analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Noradrenaline (NA) concentration in vitreous fluid was more than 20 times higher in the cold exposed animals than in controls (44.2 ± 9.2 versus 2.0 ± 1.0 ng/mL). Autolysis alone caused an increase to 33.5 ± 7.7 ng/mL, and freezing alone to 13.4 ± 5.3 ng/mL. The highest values were in the group with exposure, freezing, and autolysis. Adrenaline (A) concentration in the vitreous fluid increased fourfold (3.9 ± 1.5 versus 0.7 ± 0.5 ng/mL) in cold exposure and twofold as a result of autolysis. Dopamine (DA) concentration in vitreous fluid was elevated only in the group with exposure, freezing, and autolysis. The increase of NA concentration in urine was fivefold during the whole exposure (from 19.4 ± 6.9 to 109 ± 57.3 ng/mL), but A was increased by twentyfold (from 10 ± 5.1 to 213.2 ± 168.7 ng/mL), whereas DA concentration did not change. The increase of average excretion of NA to urine was eightfold during the first 6 h of exposure, and that of A tenfold. According to the present results, elevated concentrations of catecholamines in the vitreous fluid and urine can be used as a diagnostic aid for hypothermia death. Concerning the values of noradrenaline in the vitreous, the increase as a result of autolysis must be taken in account when interpreting the results.

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