Association of depressiveness with blunted growth hormone response to maximal physical exercise in young healthy men

Blunted response of growth hormone secretion to several pharmacological cha llenges is present in depression, but much less is known about the relation ship of depression and secretion of growth hormone elicited by physiologica l stimuli. Furthermore, it is not known whether blunted growth hormone resp onse occurs in depressiveness as measured with psychometric scales. A total of 82 healthy male volunteers (age 18-26 years) exercised on a bicycle erg ometer with incremental load to achieve their maximal performance. Before e xercise, subjects filled in approbated versions of Beck Depression Inventor y (BDI), Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Scale, Cohens Perceived Stress S cale, and Schwartzers Self-Efficacy Scale. Blood samples were collected bef ore and after exercise, and growth hormone, cortisol, and testosterone were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Median perceived stress score o f the subjects was identical to our population-based database median value, but the subjects had higher self-efficacy and lower depressiveness as show n by median values. In the majority of subjects, physical exercise induced remarkable increases in blood levels of the hormones. Cortisol and testoste rone levels were not associated with the scores of psychometric scales. How ever, growth hormone response was virtually absent in high scorers (above m edian population score, n = 24) in. BDI total score and the negative attitu de subcomponent. Hence, this study demonstrates that growth hormone respons e to physiological stimuli is reduced in psychometrically measured depressi veness. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.