Growth hormone response to growth hormone-releasing hormone stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder

The Insulin-like Growth Factor Family as a Potential Peripheral Biomarker in Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Psychiatric disorders (PDs), including schizophrenia (SZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), among other disorders, represent a significant global health burden. Despite advancements in understanding their biological mechanisms, there is still no reliable objective and reliable biomarker; therefore, diagnosis remains largely reliant on subjective clinical assessments. Peripheral biomarkers in plasma or serum are interesting due to their accessibility, low cost, and potential to reflect central nervous system processes. Among these, the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family, IGF-1, IGF-2, and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), has gained attention for its roles in neuroplasticity, cognition, and neuroprotection, as well as for their capability to cross the blood-brain barrier. This review evaluates the evidence for IGF family alterations in PDs, with special focus on SZ, MDD, and BD, while also addressing other PDs covering almost 40 years of history. In SZ patients, IGF-1 alterations have been linked to metabolic dysregulation, treatment response, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction. In MDD patients, IGF-1 appears to compensate for impaired neurogenesis, although findings are inconsistent. Emerging studies on IGF-2 and IGFBPs suggest potential roles across PDs. While promising, heterogeneity among studies and methodological limitations highlights the need for further research to validate IGFs as reliable psychiatric biomarkers.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder and growth factors: A comparative review

The goal of this article is to clarify the role of various growth factors in the establishment and progression of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a chronic mental disorder with recurrent intrusive thoughts and/or repetitive compulsive behaviors that increase during stressful periods. Growth and neurotrophic factors may be contributing factors in the pathophysiology of OCD. Many of them are synthesized and released within the central nervous system and act as trophic agents in neurons; some of them are involved in brain growth, development, neurogenesis, myelination and plasticity, while others take part in the protection of the nervous system following brain injuries. This paper attempts to identify all articles investigating the relationship between OCD and neurotrophic and growth factors, in both animal and human studies, with a focus on adult brain studies. Based on the PubMed and Scopus and Science Direct search tools, the available articles and studies are reviewed. Out of 230 records in total, the ones related to our review topic were taken into account to further understand the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of OCD, providing methods to improve its symptoms via the modification of neurotrophins and growth factor imbalances.

Serum Levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Recent findings suggest an involvement of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the pathogenesis of many psychiatric disorders; however, there is a lack of data regarding IGF-1 in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aims of the present study were (1) to analyze putative alterations of IGF-1 serum content in patients with OCD compared to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls, and (2) to analyze putative changes of IGF-1 levels during drug treatment in subjects with OCD compared to patients with MDD.

METHODS

We recruited 40 OCD patients, 37 MDD patients, and 43 healthy controls. All participants were adults. Serum IGF-1 levels were measured by the ELISA method on venous blood samples collected at baseline and after 10 ± 1 weeks of drug treatment.

RESULTS

IGF-1 levels were increased in OCD patients compared to controls (149.9 ± 60.2 vs. 121.2 ± 51.6 ng/ml; p = 0.040). No correlations were observed between baseline IGF-1 levels, clinical features, and response to treatment at follow-up in OCD or MDD patients. No changes in serum IGF-1 were observed after drug treatment.

CONCLUSION

Our results show for the first time that serum IGF-1 levels are altered in patients with OCD. Further research on the role of IGF-1 in OCD is warranted.