Abnormal responsiveness of growth hormone to human corticotropin-releasing hormone in major depressive disorder.

Plasma growth hormone (GH) release after injection of 100 micrograms synthetic human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH) was investigated in 11 patients with major depressive disorder and normal controls matched for gender, age, body weight and ovarian status. In contrast to controls, who exhibited no significant GH response to CRH, depressed patients showed a significant net increase in GH secretion following CRH administration. The abnormal GH response to CRH was not correlated with baseline corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol nor with CRH-induced ACTH and cortisol response. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to such factors as alpha-adrenergic hyperactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary system dysregulation, drug interference, non-specific stress responses and abnormal neuroendocrine circadian rhythms in major depression.