Growth hormone response to placebo, apomorphine and growth hormone releasing hormone in abstinent alcoholics and control subjects.

Abstinent alcoholics and control subjects were challenged with placebo (saline), growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and apomorphine (APO). While both groups did not differ in their growth hormone response (HGH) to placebo and GHRH, the alcoholics revealed a significant lower HGH response to dopamine receptor stimulation with APO. These findings provide no evidence that in abstinent alcoholics HGH blunting after dopamine receptor stimulation could be related to an alteration at the pituitary level but they give neuroendocrinological support to the hypothesis of a lower dopamine receptor sensitivity in abstinent alcoholics.