The pituitary gland, located underneath the brain, releases human growth hormone or HGH, in pulses across the 24-hour day. This hormone plays an important role in development and regeneration. It can also be synthesized and taken by injection. Patients use HGH, also known as somatropin, to cure a variety of medical conditions, and athletes abuse HGH to gain a competitive edge. Hormone replacement therapy with HGH also effectively and safely treats neurological disorders.
HGH Improves Performance
According to a 2010 paper by W. M. High and co-workers published in the "Journal of Neurotrauma," head injuries typically cause cognitive impairments and reduce HGH levels. These two findings often co-vary, and thus hormone replacement therapy with HGH may be effective. The High study tested this hypothesis in traumatic brain injury, TBI, patients with low HGH levels. Results indicated that HGH improved intelligence, learning and performance relative to placebo. A similar report by I. Kreitschmann-Andermahr and associates described in "Growth Hormone & IGF Research" showed that HGH also improved quality of life in TBI patients. In both studies, growth hormone intake produced no more adverse events than did placebo.
HGH Triggers Growth
Natural HGH was originally isolated from cadaver pituitary glands and given to children with growth difficulties. New technology, using recombinant DNA, allowed chemists to manufacture synthetic HGH the mid 1980s. A 2010 investigation by M. Okonska and colleagues presented in "Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism" continued this line of research. These scientists tested children with craniopharyngioma, a type of pituitary tumor that affects brain function and retards development. Growth hormone intake increased height, decreased fat and lowered cholesterol. More importantly, drug intake caused no side effects.
HGH Reduces Pain
Growth hormone contributes to the recovery of muscles and nerves. Fibromyalgia changes the neuromuscular system creating a syndrome marked by fatigue and pain. Thus HGH may prove useful in improving quality of life in people with fibromyalgia. A 2007 paper by G. Cuatrecasas and associates described in "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders" looked at HGH intake in fibromyalgia patients with low growth hormone levels. The data showed that somatropin reduced the number of tender points within a few months. Growth hormone also improved measures of fatigue, pain and mental health without causing negative reactions.
HGH Enhances Memory
Alzheimer's disease, a devastating type of dementia, affects millions of people around the world. It impairs learning and memory ultimately resulting in mortality. A 2009 study by M. Malek and co-workers offered in the "Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences" evaluated growth hormone as a potential treatment in an animal model of dementia. Neurotoxin injections produced an Alzheimer's type dementia in male rats, and HGH intake reversed much of this damage. Rats receiving growth hormone performed better in a water maze than those receiving saline injections. These results suggest that HGH may play a role in memory systems as the maze required both learning and memory to execute.
References
- "Journal of Neurotrauma"; Effect of Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy on Cognition after Traumatic Brain Injury; W. M. High et al.; June 25, 2010
- "Growth Hormone & IGF Research"; Growth Hormone Deficient Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury--Baseline Characteristics and Benefits after Growth Hormone Replacement--An Analysis of the German KIMS Database; I. Kreitschmann-Andermahr et al.; December 2008
- Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism"; Evaluation of the Influence of Growth Hormone Therapy on Growing Process and Metabolic Functions in Patients after Treatment of Craniopharyngioma; M. Okonska et al.; 2010
- "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorder": Growth Hormone as Concomitant Treatment in Severe Fibromyalgia Associated with Low IGF-1 Serum levels
- "Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences"; Effect of Intra-Hippocampal Injection of Growth Hormone on Spatial Learning and Memory in Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease; M. Malek et al.; Sept. 15, 2009
