title: Corticosteroid and growth hormone responses to methylamphetamine in depressive illness.
abstract: It is suggested that, if depressed patients have deficient noradrenergic function at central alpha-adrenergic receptors, then they will also have impaired corticosteroid responses to methylamphetamine but unaltered growth hormone responses. This prediction has been confirmed when the responses of a group of patients with endogenous depression were compared with the responses of a group of patients with other functional psychoses, a group of patients with reactive depression, and a group of patients with other psychiatric diagnoses. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a functional deficiency of noradrenaline at some central alpha-adrenergic receptors.
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D008694:Methamphetamine; D013006:Growth Hormone