An assessment of physiological finger tremor as an indicator of beta‐ adrenoceptor function.

Abstract

Physiological finger tremor has been assessed as an indicator of beta‐ adrenoceptor function. Tremor was not correlated with the sex, age, weight or height of the subjects and was stable over 5 min when the hand and fingers were held horizontally. It was not increased by mental arithmetic, the Valsalva manoeuvre or 3 min exercise. Satisfactory dose‐ response curves could be constructed for the isoprenaline enhanced increases in finger tremor. In six subjects, practolol 120 mg produced a small shift to the right of the isoprenaline dose‐response curve for finger tremor (dose ratio 2.1) but propranolol 40 mg was seven times more effective (dose ratio 17.1). Physiological finger tremor appears to be a stable parameter which may be useful in the investigation of the selectivity of beta‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs. 1983 The British Pharmacological Society