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Research Article| Volume 33, ISSUE 4, P267-271, February 15, 1993

Thyrotropin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type

  • Marilyn Albert
    Correspondence
    Address reprint requests to Marilyn Albert, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, CNY-9, Boston, MA 02114.
    Footnotes
    Affiliations
    From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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  • Michael Jenike
    Footnotes
    Affiliations
    Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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  • Ralph Nixon
    Footnotes
    Affiliations
    Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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  • Kenneth Nobel
    Footnotes
    Affiliations
    Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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  • Author Footnotes
    ∗ The authors thank Lois Rogers, Katherine Murphy, and Hope Heller, for their assistance in the assessment of the subjects; Drs. Kenneth Jones and Mary Hyde, for guiding the statistical analyses; and Dr. Gordon Williams and Beverley Potter, for supervision of the TSH assays. The support of the staff and residents of the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged was essential to the successful conduct of the study and is gratefully acknowledged.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(93)90293-M
Thyrotropin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type
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      Abstract

      Eleven patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type and 11 age-matched control subjects were given the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test. The two groups did not differ with respect to peak thyrotropin (TSH) response or TSH levels at baseline, 20, 30, and 45 min after TRH injection. There were significant differences between the groups on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores (p < 0.03), although neither group met clinical criteria for depression. Items that were significantly different pertained to depressed mood, loss of interest, loss of insight, suicidal ideation, and obsessional symptoms.

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      Article info

      Publication history

      Received in revised form: November 4, 1992
      Received: April 20, 1990

      Footnotes

      ☆This study was supported in part by funds from the National Institute on Aging, Teaching Nursing Home Award, P01-AG04390.

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(93)90293-M

      Copyright

      © 1993 Published by Elsevier Inc.

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