Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:92-95
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Blunted growth hormone response to peripheral infusion of human growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with panic disorder
MH Rapaport, SC Risch, JC Gillin, S Golshan and DS Janowsky
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla.
Patients with panic disorder (N = 11) and age- and sex-matched normal
control subjects (N = 11) were challenged with human growth hormone-
releasing factor (GH-RF) (1 microgram/kg i.v.) or placebo in random order.
The control subjects had significantly increased plasma growth hormone (GH)
levels after GH-RF infusion whereas panic disorder patients did not. At 15
and 30 minutes after GH-RF infusion, GH concentrations were significantly
higher in the control subjects than in the patients. These findings with
GH-RF extend findings from earlier reports that patients with panic
disorder show blunted GH response to phobic stimulation and clonidine.
