TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of muscle tension on cerebral circulation in blood-phobic and non-phobic subjects
AU - Foulds, Jonathan
AU - Wiedmann, Klaus
AU - Patterson, James
AU - Brooks, Neil
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1990
Y1 - 1990
N2 - This study aimed to assess whether (1) a muscle tensing procedure which has been found to be useful in the treatment of blood-phobic patients produces an increase in heart rate and cerebral blood flow and (2) whether this increase is greater than that produced by mental effort alone. Subjects were 17 volunteers with a history of fainting in response to blood-injury stimuli, (12 were phobic) and 8 volunteers with no fainting history. They were required to (a) rest, (b) do mental arithmetic, and (c) repeatedly tense and release their arm and leg muscles. It was found that Ss, heart rate and cerebral blood flow velocity were significantly greater during the muscle tensing procedure than during mental arithmetic or resting conditions. The increased cerebral blood flow produced by muscle tensing may enable blood phobic patients to prevent fainting during exposure treatment.
AB - This study aimed to assess whether (1) a muscle tensing procedure which has been found to be useful in the treatment of blood-phobic patients produces an increase in heart rate and cerebral blood flow and (2) whether this increase is greater than that produced by mental effort alone. Subjects were 17 volunteers with a history of fainting in response to blood-injury stimuli, (12 were phobic) and 8 volunteers with no fainting history. They were required to (a) rest, (b) do mental arithmetic, and (c) repeatedly tense and release their arm and leg muscles. It was found that Ss, heart rate and cerebral blood flow velocity were significantly greater during the muscle tensing procedure than during mental arithmetic or resting conditions. The increased cerebral blood flow produced by muscle tensing may enable blood phobic patients to prevent fainting during exposure treatment.
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U2 - 10.1016/0005-7967(90)90134-5
DO - 10.1016/0005-7967(90)90134-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 2076085
AN - SCOPUS:0025642884
SN - 0005-7967
VL - 28
SP - 481
EP - 486
JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy
JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy
IS - 6
ER -