[Clinical chemical diagnosis of affective diseases by means of a neuroendocrine function test (author's transl)].

The stimulation of pituitary hormone secretion with thyroliberin and by insulin-induced hypoglycemia was investigated on 52 depressive patients and 12 postdepressive, lithiumtreated subjects. The serum concentrations of somatotropin, cortisol, prolactin, thyrotropin and glucose were followed for 2 hours. Differences in the neuroendocrine response between endogenous and reactive (neurotic) depressive patients were observed, and changes during the course of the diseases were also recorded. 1. Stimulation of somatotropin and cortisol secretion, and the decrease of glucose are diminished in endogenous depressive patients, as compared to those of reactive depressive patients and healthy controls. 2. Somatotropin stimulation maxima below 40 mU/l in depressive phase are indicative of endogenous depression, rather than the reactive form, with a confidence probability of 0.9. 3. An increase in the stimulation of somatotropin and cortisol secretion can be shown after termination of endogenous depression. However, the somatotropin maxima are then also lower than those found in reactive depression. 4. The stimulation of somatotropin secretion in lithiumtreated psychosis-free subjects shows no difference from that of healthy controls; thyrotropin secretion increase. The weak, insulin-induced hypoglycemia, observed in these subjects, is higher (66%) than in the healthy controls. 5. Fear and agitation have an inhibitory effect on the stimulation of the prolactin secretion during the depressive phase. The pituitary stimulation test offers a means of ascertaining the disturbed neuroendocrine function in affective diseases and objectifying the differential diagnosis of depressive syndromes.