Blunted TSH and unaltered PRL responses to TRH following repeated administration of TRH in neurologic patients: A replication of neuroendocrine features of major depression

Abstract A blunted thyrotropin (TSH) and an unaltered prolactin (PRL) responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) are widely recognized in neuroendocrinology of depression. We studied effects of repeated TRH administration of 1 mg/day for 10 days on the pituitary-thyroid axis function and PRL secretion in 16 euthyroid patients with neurological disorders. Although levels of serum thyroid hormones and of nonstimulated PRL were not affected by the treatment, baseline TSH levels were markedly inhibited. A blunted response of TSH to TRH was found without a significant effect on a PRL response to TRH after long-term treatment with TRH in four patients in whom a TRH test was performed. These changes are similar to those in depressed patients. TRH administration in this manner replicates a lowered sensitivity of thyrotrophs of the pituitary with a normal responsibility of lactotrophs in depression.