Editorial - Current Knowledge on Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factors and their Role in the Central Nervous System

Abstract

GH mediates most of its effects by releasing insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) through stimulation of GH receptors (GHR), in particular in the liver. Both GH and IGF-1 are shown to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and affect specific targets for these hormones in the brain. The discovery of GH and IGF-1 receptors in the CNS and their distribution in brain areas associated with the functional anatomy of behavioral effects induced by activation of the somatotrophic axis (GH/IGF-1 axis) has brought up new aspects on the mechanisms underlying beneficial effects seen for the two hormones.