The effect of growth hormone substitution on cognitive performance in adult patients with hypopituitarism.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Adult hypopituitary patients with growth hormone deficiency, though on adequate adrenal, thyroid or sex hormone replacement therapy, complain of attention and memory disabilities.

The aim of their study was to determine whether a long-term replacement therapy of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) affects cognitive performance in adults with GH deficiency.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

The assessment of cognitive performance comprised attention, verbal memory and non-verbal intelligence and was examined at baseline (0), at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Eighteen hypopituitary patients, mean age 41.6 (range 21-63) years with adult onset GH deficiency were evaluated.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) group a baseline to be compared against.

In addition, emotional well-being and energy were assessed using the Nottingham Health Profile self rating questionnaire.

Patients were on adequate and stable adrenal, thyroid, gonadal and desmopressin replacement therapy where necessary, but not substituted for GH deficiency.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Attention, Cognition, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Human Growth Hormone, Hypopituitarism, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I and Intelligence.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over).

Results are reported in around 7 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2004 (Psychoneuroendocrinology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) compound page, all human trials.