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Mark T. Felmus, MD, PhD; Bernard M. Patten, MD; Avery Hart; Cruz Martinez

Arch Neurol. 1977;34(5):280-284.

Abstract
• Infusions of epinephrine or levarterenol bitartrate into a rabbit nerve-muscle preparation decreased the force of the evoked twitch of anterior tibial and gastrocnemius-soleus muscles. The adverse effect of the catecholamines was not directly on skeletal muscle. The receptor blocking drug phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride prevented the adverse effect of the catecholamines if it was given prior to catecholamine infusions and unmasked a weak augmentation of twitch tension. Taken with the finding of abnormal accumulation of catecholamine in human dystrophic muscle, the production of an experimental myopathy resembling human dystrophy by the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline hydrochloride, and the finding of excessive levels of catecholamines in the tissues and urine of dystrophic animals, these experiments support the hypothesis that catecholamines could play a pathogenetic role in some dystrophic diseases of muscle.

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Physiology (Dr Felmus and Mr Martinez) and Neurology (Drs Felmus and Patten and Mr Hart), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Jan 10, 1977.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030 (Dr Patten).

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