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Hormones
Published in: Hormones 4/2021

01-12-2021 | Anxiety | Review Article

Association of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) with anxiety and depression: experimental data and evidence from GHD children and adolescents

Authors: Fotini-Heleni Karachaliou, Kyriaki Karavanaki, Aristofania Simatou, Eleni Tsintzou, Nikitas S. Skarakis, Christina Kanaka-Gatenbein

Published in: Hormones | Issue 4/2021

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Abstract

Anxiety and depression are among the commonest emotional problems in children and young adolescents. They are encountered with even higher prevalence in children and adults with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Alterations in the somatotropic axis, as observed in both GH/IGF1 deficiency and excess, can produce permanent changes in brain tissue structure. The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF1) axis seems to exert a regulatory effect on brain function and neurogenesis, especially in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with mental and emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety. There is evidence from animal models of the possible interrelationship of the endocrine system with the pathogenesis of emotional disorders. Moreover, clinical data support the association of GHD and mood disorders, which are often reversed by GH replacement therapy. However, the causal relationship and the mechanism underlying this association are to date obscure and remain to be clarified. The present review reports experimental data from animal models regarding the role of GH/IGF1 in emotional disorders and focuses on clinical data on the presence of these disorders in children with GHD and their response to GH therapy.
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Metadata
Title
Association of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) with anxiety and depression: experimental data and evidence from GHD children and adolescents
Authors
Fotini-Heleni Karachaliou
Kyriaki Karavanaki
Aristofania Simatou
Eleni Tsintzou
Nikitas S. Skarakis
Christina Kanaka-Gatenbein
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Hormones / Issue 4/2021
Print ISSN: 1109-3099
Electronic ISSN: 2520-8721
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00306-1

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