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Reduction in total plasma ghrelin levels following catecholamine depletion: relation to bulimic and depressive symptoms
Plain-language guide to PMID 23333252 (2013): double-blind randomized controlled trial study of Ghrelin in 20 subjects.
Key Facts
- PMID
- 23333252
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2013
- Study type
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Homan P et al. (5 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.12.024
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
The paper reports a study of Ghrelin, published as a randomized controlled trial.
To investigate the role of ghrelin and its considered counterpart, peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY), in the development of bulimic and depressive symptoms induced by catecholamine depletion, the researchers administered the tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor alpha-methyl-paratyrosine (AMPT) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover, single-site experimental trial to 29 healthy controls and 20 subjects with fully recovered bulimia nervosa (rBN).
Who Took Part
The abstract describes 20 subjects taking part.
PubMed indexes the participants as young adults and adults, both men and women.
How the Study Was Run
The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.
Because people in this Ghrelin study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.
As a double-blind Ghrelin study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.
A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Ghrelin group a baseline to be compared against.
Each person switched between Ghrelin and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.
What Was Measured
Topics PubMed links to this paper include Body Mass Index, Bulimia, Catecholamines, Convalescence, Depression, Dipeptides and Fasting.
The authors tagged it with the keywords Bulimia nervosa, Dopamine, Ghrelin, Norepinephrine and PYY remission.
What This Means in Plain Language
The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Ghrelin in 20 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 2013 (Psychoneuroendocrinology), a journal based in England.
More context: the Ghrelin compound page, all human trials.
Our Notes on the Compound
Ghrelin: A 28-amino-acid stomach hormone that signals hunger and triggers growth hormone release; studied in human trials as an infusion.
Related Pages
Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.