1. Plasma arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and thirst thresholds.
Plasma arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and thirst thresholds. Relationship between plasma osmolality (Posm) and plasma AVP level or intensity of thirst in normal subjects. Posm was lowered or raised by intravenous infusions of either hypotonic or hypertonic sodium chloride solutions. Left: A representative subject separately defines Posm thresholds and slopes for AVP release (green squares) and for sense of thirst (red circles). Right: Thresholds for AVP secretion and thirst (left and right ends of the horizontal bars, respectively) in 15 different subjects. The closed and open circles represent the resting Posm for males and females. Note the large interindividual differences in the distances between the two thresholds and in the resting Posm. (Adapted from Robertson GL, Kidney Int. 25:460 to 480, 1984.)‏
Vicente E. Torres et al. CJASN 2009;4:
©2009 by American Society of Nephrology