Human pituitary hormones : circadian and episodic variations : a workshop symposium held in Brussels, Belgium, November 29-30, 1979, sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities, as advised by the Committee on Medical and Public Health Research

Front Matter....Pages I-IX Quantitative Methods for the Analysis of Circadian and Episodic Hormone Fluctuations....Pages 1-28 The Sleep-Wake Pattern of Cortisol and Growth Hormone Secretion during Non-Entrained (Free-Running) Conditions in Man....Pages 29-41 Search for a Primate Model of Human Sleep-Related Hormone Secretion....Pages 42-67 Adaptation of 24-Hour Hormonal Patterns and Sleep to Jet Lag....Pages 68-95 Effect of an Imposed 21 Hour Sleep-Wake Cycle upon the Rhythmicity of Human Plasma Thyrotropin....Pages 96-117 Physiological Factors Influencing the Nyctohemeral Pattern of TSH....Pages 118-131 Circadian and Ultradian Variations in Serum TSH and Thyroid Hormones in Normal Man and in Patients with Treated and Untreated Primary Hypothyroidism....Pages 132-160 Control of Pituitary-Adrenal Periodicity....Pages 161-183 Influence of Drug Administration on ACTH Circadian Rhythm....Pages 184-206 Hormonal Rhythms in Pituitary Tumors....Pages 207-232 Circadian Variation of Plasma Growth Hormone in Normal Subjects and Diabetic Patients. Effects of Somatostatin Infusion, Age and Body Weight....Pages 233-260 Circadian and Circannual Changes of Pituitary and other Hormones in Healthy Human Males: Their Relationship with Gonadal Activity....Pages 261-278 Clinical Implications of Gonadotropin Rhythms....Pages 279-294 Pituitary and Pineal Hormone Rhythms in Manic-Depression....Pages 295-309 Circadian Rhythm of Plasma Gonadotropins, Prolactin and Growth Hormone Levels in Anorexia Nervosa: Correlations with Hypophysial Tests....Pages 310-329 General Discussion....Pages 330-350 Back Matter....Pages 351-352 During the last decade, circadian and episodic fluctuations of the plasma levels of pituitary hormones have been demon~ trated in man. The interest in the time dependence of the pituitary secretions partially originates from their close functional relation with the neuroendocrine mechanisms pre sumably responsible for the control of the circadian.rhyth micity in man. High frequency blood sampling techniques and specific radio immunoassays have allowed to describe in detail the varia tions over the 24-h cycle of the hormonal concentrations in healthy individuals under basal conditions as well as after manipulation of external synchronizers such as the sleep wake cycle, the dark-light cycle and the feeding schedule. Alterations in normal hormonal var~ions have been sugges ted to play a role in the etiopathogeny of several metabo lic and mental diseases, such as obesity or manic-depressio~ Important clinical implications regarding treatment and pre vention are expected to be developed in the near future. However, so far, data obtained in different groups are dif ficult to compare because different hormones were studied using different protocols and statistical methods. As a result, unclear or controversial issues are not uncommon