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Abstract
Previous studies have shown that alterations in various neuroendocrine functions occur
with increasing age. We here report a study of growth hormone (GH)-binding sites in
different areas of post-mortem human brains collected from individual males and females
of different age. The results indicate that there exists a significant negative correlation
between the density of GH-binding sites and increasing age. This phenomenon was observed
in both sexes in brain areas such as choroid plexus, hippocampus, hypothalamus, pituitary
and putamen but not in e.g. thalamus. In all tissues (except for choroid plexus),
the GH binding was significantly higher in those originating from females than those
from males. This discrepancy was found likely to be associated with the affinity of
GH to lactogenic rather than to somatogenic sites as no pronounced sex difference
in binding was observed in the presence of excessive amounts of human prolactin. Data
also indicate that the putative GH receptors in the various brain regions differ with
regard to binding constants and to the estimated molecular size of the hormone-binding
units. The loss of GH receptors in brain of elderly people may have consequences in
several physiological courses. The decrease in GH binding at hypothalamic and pituitary
levels may be of importance for the mechanisms behind the release or secretion of
the hormone.