SOMATOTROPIC-PITUITARY FUNCTION IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE AND DEPRESSION IN OLD-AGE

Growth hormone (GH) response to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH ) was investigated to test the somatostatin deficiency hypothesis in A lzheimer's disease in 20 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 20 elderly patients with depressive illness and 20 elderly healthy control subje cts. The whole group of patients with Alzheimer's disease showed signi ficantly lower GH response than the depressive patients and normal con trols (GH expressed as area under the curve and serial measurements af ter GHRH stimulation). The findings do not support the somatostatin de ficiency hypothesis, but do support some of the results of earlier stu dies concerning the performance of GHRH tests in depressive illness an d Alzheimer's disease.