Plasma norepinephrine response to exercise in bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and controls

Introduction Altered function of the sympathetic nervous system has been observed in anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The excretion of me~oxy-hy~oxyphenylglycol sulfate in urine (MOPEG sulfate) was found to be decreased in anorexia nervosa (Halmi et al. 1979; Abraham et al. 198 1; Gerner and Gwirtsman 1981) and in bulimia (Philipp et al. 1988b). Reduced basal plasma concentrations and an impaired orthostatic response were observed in both eating disorders (Gross et al. 1979; Heufelder et al. 1985). Reduced concentrations of norepinephrine metabolites were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid of anorectic patients (Ebert et al. 1984). The increase of plasma no~pinep~ne after standardized test