TRH test in schizophrenic patients and controls

Abstract

The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is a neuroendocrine challenge test of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. A blunted TSH response to TRH has been found to occur signi~cantly more often in depressed patients than controls (Loosen and Prange 1982). However, blunted TSH response to TRH have also been found in other neuropsychiatric disorders, including personality disorder, eating disorders, mania, ~~ho~srn, and cocaine abuse (reviewed in Extein et al. 1984). There have been relatively few studies of the TRH test among schizophrenic patients (reviewed in Braddock and Blake 1981). Of particular interest have been four studies that have reported abnormal growth hormone (GH) responses to TRH infusion in schizophrenic patients (Gil-Ad et al. 1981; Weizman et al. 1982; Ferrier et al. 1983; Demilio 1984). As part of a series of neurobiological studies in schizop~enia, we had performed the TRH test in 14 chronic schizop~nic patients and 14 ageand sex-matched controls. Thus, the purpose of this report is to compare schizophrenic patients and controls for their TSH, GH, and prolactin (PRL) responses on the TRH test.