Serotonin function in pathological gambling: blunted growth hormone response to sumatriptan.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), published as a randomized controlled trial.

Acute administration of Sumatriptan, a selective 5-HT(1B/1D) agonist, has been used to investigate the functional responsivity of 5-HT(1B/1D) receptors in alcoholics, resulting in a blunted growth hormone response.

Why It Was Studied

Pathological gambling is a disruptive behaviour and an important public health concern that is classified as an impulse control disorder, and is also conceptualized as a prototype of 'behavioural addiction'.

These findings have been interpreted as being due to the down-regulation of these receptors.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 19 subjects were involved.

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

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

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.

Some subjects received a placebo instead of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), giving a reference point.

Each person switched between Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Anxiety, Case-Control Studies, Gambling, Human Growth Hormone, Serotonin, Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists and Sumatriptan.

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) in 19 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2010 (Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)), a journal based in United States.

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