THE GONADAL AXIS IN MEN WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

The typical onset of schizophrenia during late adolescence and early a dulthood has stimulated interest in the potential contribution of hypo thalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis abnormalities to this disorder. P revious investigations of reproductive hormone function in men with sc hizophrenia suggest diminished activity of the HPG axis. These studies have been hampered, however, by methodologic limitations. We have att empted to address these limitations by rigorous determination of gonad otropin and gonadal hormone levels, and attention to demographic and d iagnostic variables. In contrast to prior studies, our results indicat e that schizophrenic patients do not show statistically significant di fferences from healthy volunteers with respect to luteinizing hormone pulsatility, response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone challenge, and testosterone secretion. Due to the small number of subjects, however, these findings must be regarded as preliminary and warrant further st udy.