GRF-induced GH response in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Cacabelos. R R; Albarrán. M M; Diéguez. C C; Fariñas. F F; del Pino. J L JL; Expósito. J J; Martín-Loeches. M M; Rubia. F J FJ
Key Findings
- Baseline GH was lower in ADHD children than in healthy controls.
- After GRF‑1‑29 injection, ADHD kids had a delayed and prolonged GH response, with higher levels at 90 and 120 minutes compared to controls.
- Two distinct sub‑groups emerged among ADHD participants: one with a high overall GH response (large AUC) and one with a hyporeactive GH response (small AUC).
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the data suggest that the GH‑axis behaves differently in some people with ADHD, which could affect how GH‑releasing peptides work for them. It hints that measuring GH response might help personalize peptide dosing, but the study does not provide a ready‑to‑use protocol for longevity or performance enhancement.
Summary
The study looked at how a growth‑hormone‑releasing peptide (GRF‑1‑29) makes the body release GH in kids with ADHD compared to healthy kids. ADHD kids started with lower GH levels and showed a different pattern of GH release after the peptide, with some showing a strong response and others a weak one.
Abstract
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a type of disruptive behavior of unknown etiology with a prevalence of 2.5-5% in school-age children. The useful evaluation of the GRF-induced GH response as a marker in some mental disorders led us to study the response of GH to the exogenous administration of GRF (1-29) NH2 (150 micrograms, i.v.) in ADHD children (N = 12, age = 7.78 +/- 1.66 years) and healthy children (N = 6; age = 8.73 +/- 2.24 years) in order to evaluate the functioning of the somatotropinergic system (GRF-SS-GH-SM axis) and using this neuroendocrine test as a potential diagnostic marker and/or a therapeutic predictor in ADHD. While controls (CS) showed a maximum GH response to GRF 15 min after injection (37.15 +/- 29.56 ng/ml; basal GH = 5.49 +/- 4.71 ng/ml), ADHD children (basal GH = 2.28 +/- 1.66 ng/ml) exhibited a lower response with a plateau from 15 (21.32 +/- 10.00 ng/ml) to 60 min (26.48 +/- 23.72 ng/ml). Serum GH levels at 90 (17.23 +/- 14.45 vs. 5.99 +/- 2.82 ng/ml, p less than 0.05) and 120 min (11.89 +/- 8.63 vs. 4.12 +/- 1.66 ng/ml, p less than 0.05) were significantly higher in ADHD than in CS. According to the GRF-induced GH response elicited in ADHD, two different populations of patients can be distinguished; one group with high response of GH (AUC = 3372.21 +/- 1127.61 ng.min/ml) and another group with a hyporeactive GH (AUC = 1567.46 +/- 726.0 ng.min/ml, p less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Study Information
pubmed
1990