Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:455-459
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
TRH-induced TSH response in healthy volunteers: relationship to psychiatric history
PT Loosen, R Marciniak and K Thadani
The authors measured thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) response to
thyrotropin-releasing hormone in 32 healthy volunteers who had never sought
or received psychiatric treatment. Nine (28%) had a family or personal
history of depression or alcoholism. Five of these nine subjects and one of
22 subjects without such a history showed TSH blunting (TSH data were not
available for one subject). This difference was statistically highly
significant. Although there were sex differences in TSH response, TSH
blunting occurred most frequently in men with a family or personal history
of depression or alcoholism. The fault may have utility as a marker of past
episodes or as a true marker of trait.
