Prevalence of mental disorders in acromegaly: a cross-sectional study in 81 acromegalic patients.

Objective: Emotional and behavioural alterations have been described in acromegalic patients. However, the nature and psychopathological value of these changes remained unclear. We examined whether acromegalic patients have an increased prevalence of comorbid DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Version) mental disorders in comparison to subjects with or without chronic somatic disorders.

Alcohol administration acutely inhibits ghrelin secretion in an experiment involving psychosocial stress.

The appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin are altered in alcoholism and influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. We investigated whether acute ethanol ingestion and stress exposure affect ghrelin secretion. Nine healthy male volunteers were exposed to a standardized laboratory stressor involving public speaking on 2 days.

Apomorphine-induced growth hormone response is attenuated by ethanol but not dextromethorphan.

Background: Misuse of alcohol drinking is a major health problem. Alcohol decreases spontaneous growth hormone (GH) secretion, but the mechanism is unclear. The aim of this study was to test whether administration of alcohol (study 1) or a N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (study 2) attenuates the GH response to pharmacological dopaminergic stimulation.