RESUMO
To clarify the functional state of the somatotropinergic system at the hypothalamo-hypophyseal level in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, the GHRH test was performed in three groups of subjects: a) healthy elderly subjects; b) early onset senile dementia patients; and c) late onset senile dementia patients. Intravenous administration of GHRH(1-44)NH2 (100 micrograms) elicited a marked plasma GH response with a maximum peak (709.54 +/- 259.0 pmol/l; P less than 0.005) 60 min after injection in patients with early onset senile dementia, but no significant response was detected in the other two groups. Electroencephalographic recording showed that GHRH modifies brain bioelectrical activity, decreasing frequency (0.52 +/- 0.15 Hz) and increasing amplitude (8.25 +/- 4.5 microV) of the electroencephalogram basic rhythm. The evaluation of mental performance and behaviour with a battery of different tests for mental assessment revealed that GHRH induces transient clinical changes in psychomotor behaviour. According to these results, it seems likely that the somatostatin deficiency reported in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type may account for the enhanced GHRH-induced GH response observed in patients with early onset senile dementia. In consequence, the GHRH test might constitute a useful antemortem marker for senile dementia of the Alzheimer type if the present results can be replicated in early stages of the disease.
Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer/fisiopatologia , Hormônio Liberador de Hormônio do Crescimento/análogos & derivados , Hormônio do Crescimento/metabolismo , Fragmentos de Peptídeos , Idoso , Doença de Alzheimer/sangue , Eletroencefalografia , Feminino , Hormônio do Crescimento/sangue , Humanos , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisário/efeitos dos fármacos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores Sexuais , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
The diencephalon syndrome due to head injury in a 60-year-old woman is reported. The dicenphalon syndrome of the patient offered a variety of productive psychic and somatopsychic symptoms without reduction of intelligence; these included optic and acoustic hallucinations, delusions, cenesthesic hallucinations, disturbances of body schema and distinct functional disorders of the vegetative system. Autopsy findings of the brain were obtained in the 1.5 years up to her death. The problems of diencephalon syndrome related with suspected organic bases of schizophrenia and rhythmicity of diencephalogenic impulse reduction are discussed.
