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Biomedical subjects

S Caroff

Publications and source records attributed to S Caroff.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Variability of hormonal responses to a series of neuroendocrine challenges in depressed patients.

Abnormalities of hormonal responses to a number of neuroendocrine challenges have been reported in depressed patients. The authors used a series of four neuroendocrine challenges-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation, insulin tolerance test (ITT), and overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST)-and examined eight hormonal responses in 24 healthy subjects and 26 patients with primary unipolar affective disorder. Seven control subjects (29.2%) and 25 depressed patients (96.2%) had at least one abnormal response, and 15 depressed patients (57.7%) had two or mor abnormal responses. These findings suggest that depressed patients show variability in hormonal response across a number of neuroendocrine axes. No consistent patterns of abnormality of hormonal response were observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Gonadotropin release after administration of GnRH in depressed patients and healthy volunteers.

Considerable attention has been paid to studies of hormonal response abnormalities in depressed patients, and functional changes have been demonstrated in a number of neuroendocrine axes. The findings from the present study extend the results of previous investigations but demonstrate a functionally intact HPG axis in depressed patients. A number of statements can be made concerning the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) strategy: (1) Previous studies utilizing GnRH challenge have been limited in number and poorly controlled. (2) We chose to utilize our normative data because standard gonadotropin response ranges to GnRH have not previously been established in studies with depressed patients. Moreover, hormonal responses may be affected by age, sex, menstrual status, dose, and method and rate of GnRH administration. The assessment of the hormonal responses to GnRH in depressed patients and healthy controls studied under identical conditions provides the most accurate basis for comparison. (3) The incidence of abnormal LH and FSH release in depressed subjects was similar to controls, in contrast to response abnormalities found with other neuroendocrine axes. (4) Alterations in gonadotropin were limited to FSH, were sporadic, and did not differ significantly from controls. This finding is of interest and suggests that neuroendocrine alterations in depression do not necessarily affect all neuroendocrine axes.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Effect of tricyclic antidepressants on the dexamethasone suppression test.

Twelve depressed outpatients were studied to determine if tricyclic antidepressants affect the dexamethasone suppression test (DST). The authors administered the DST to patients while they were drug free and 3 weeks after they had taken tricyclics. The difference between tests was not significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Acute metabolic response to cold exposure in unipolar and bipolar II patients.

The thermoregulatory response to cold exposure was examined in 11 unipolar and 5 bipolar II drug-free outpatients and 12 healthy controls. Subjects were studied in an environmental chamber at 10 C for 60 min. The heat production response was derived from the rate of oxygen consumption measured at 15-min intervals. Rectal and mean skin temperatures were continuously recorded from thermistor probes. Responses of the controls were used to establish a standard range against which the responses of the patients were compared. Six unipolar patients (54.5%) fell outside the standard range (chi 2 = 8.86, df = 1, p less than 0.005). Four of these patients showed a paradoxical decrease in heat production. Responses of the bipolar II patients fell within a narrow segment of the standard range, such that 10 of 12 controls (83.3%) responded outside the segment (chi 2 = 10.12, df = 1, p less than 0.005). These findings indicate that unipolar patients show greater variability and bipolar II patients less variability than controls in thermoregulatory response to cold. These observations extend previous suggestions of hypothalamic-limbic system dysfunction in patients with depression.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diurnal variation of growth hormone secretion following thyrotropin-releasing hormone infusion in normal men.

Growth hormone (GH) secretion following a standard intravenous dose of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) was studied in eight healthy young men in the morning (0800h), in the evening (2000h), and after an acute 12-hr shift of the rest-activity cycle. The maximal increment in serum GH concentration following TRH administration was significantly greater in the evening than in either the morning or evening after reversal of the rest-activity cycle (p less than 0.02). Seven of the eight subjects showed an increase in serum GH following TRH in the evening but not after rest--activity reversal (p less than 0.01). Only one subject showed a GH response during one of two morning trials. Serum GH concentration was also increased in two of six subjects following saline infusion in the evening. These findings indicate that the GH response to TRH may depend on the phase of GH secretory activity at the time of testing. The GH responses to TRH reported in various disease states may, therefore, reflect alterations in the GH secretory rhythm or disturbances in circadian rest--activity patterns.

Adult↗