Human endocrine responses to acceleration stress

Abstract

Five healthy male volunteers were subjected to accelerations of up to +6 Gz for 1 min in order to investigate the effect of acceleration stress upon the concentration of various hormones in peripheral blood. No significant changes were seen in the levels of GH, PRL, TSH, LH, and FSH compared to control values obtained at +1 Gz (normal gravity). Changes in serum cortisol levels were significant (p less than 0.001) with peak values occurring 20 min after acceleration stress. A significant effect (p less than 0.001) of acceleration was also observed on plasma volume with maximum reductions occurring at the end of acceleration. The unusual specificity of the hormone responses is discussed.