title: Insulin-like growth factor I in depressed patients and controls.
abstract: To explore the role of the somatomedin-mediated long-loop negative feed-back mechanism in altered growth hormone (GH) secretory dynamics associated with depression, plasma IGF-I concentrations were measured in 34 patients with a major depressive episode and matched healthy subjects. Compared with controls, depressed patients exhibited significantly increased plasma IGF-I concentrations. In the patient group plasma IGF-I concentrations were positively correlated with the maximum post-dexamethasone plasma cortisol concentrations. Our data suggest that increased plasma IGF-I concentration may reflect diurnal GH hypersecretion, contribute to deficient GH responses to dynamic challenges, and indicate an interrelationship between the hypothalamic-pituitary-somatotropic (HPS) and -adrenocortical (HPA) system regulation in depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, FRG.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rupprecht
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pfüller
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beckmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012737:Sex Factors; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013002:Somatomedins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone