Autonomic nervous system activity in weight gain and weight
loss.
Aronne, Louis J., Ronald Mackintosh, Michael Rosenbaum, Rudolph L.
Leibel, and Jules Hirsch.
Laboratory of Human Behavior and Metabolism, Rockefeller
University, 1230 York Avenue Box 181, New York, New York 10021
-6399
APStracts 2:0048R, 1995.
Studies in both animals and humans indicate that the autonomic nervous
system (ANS) responds to changes in systemic energy balance. In the
present study, ANS response to weight change was examined by
sequential blockade of cardiac autonomic innervation with
parasympathetic (atropine) and sympathetic (esmolol) blockers. Change
in heart period (inter-beat interval) from baseline after atropine
defined the amount of parasympathetic control (PC), and the
subsequent change after esmolol defined the amount of sympathetic
control (SC). In non-obese subjects, weight gain to 10% above initial
body weight resulted in a decrease in PC and an increase in SC, and
conversely, weight loss to 10% below initial weight resulted in an
increase in PC and a decrease in SC. In obese subjects, weight loss
resulted in the same pattern of changes in PC and SC. The major
changes were in the parasympathetic arm of the ANS. These findings
support the hypothesis that the ANS acts to oppose weight change.
Received 23 September 1994; accepted in final form 17 February
1995.
APS Manuscript Number R552-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 1 March 1995.