title: Human growth hormone releasing factor infusion effects on plasma growth hormone in affective disorder patients and normal controls.
abstract: In a preliminary, prospective pilot study, five patients with major depressive disorder and eleven age and sex matched normal controls received intravenous human growth hormone releasing factor (hGRF) (1 microgram/kg in 5 cc of normal saline infused over five minutes) and placebo. Thirty minutes after insertion of the catheter, blood was sampled every 15 minutes for thirty minutes prior to and for 2 hours subsequent to intravenous infusion of hGRF or placebo. hGRF but not placebo caused significant elevations of plasma growth hormone levels in all subjects. Of interest, the depressed patients had a significantly attenuated rise in plasma growth hormone concentrations when compared with the normal controls. These results must be considered preliminary awaiting replication with a larger subject population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla 92093.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Janowsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Judd
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gillin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dana
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McAdams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone