Pituitary hormone response to brain stimulation in man

Area of Science:

• Neuroendocrinology
• Brain Stimulation
• Hormone Regulation

Background:

• Limbic leucotomy is a neurosurgical procedure impacting brain function.
• Understanding the neuroendocrine effects of brain stimulation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the hormonal responses (cortisol, GH, LH) to electrical stimulation of specific brain regions.
• To determine the role of the orbito-frontal cortex and cingulate area in hormone release.

Main Methods:

• Electrical stimulation of the orbital frontal lobe and cingulate gyrus in 15 patients.
• Measurement of plasma cortisol, growth hormone (GH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels before and after stimulation.

Main Results:

• Orbito-frontal stimulation led to increased plasma cortisol in 6/15 patients (5-7 to 18.0 mug/100 ml).
• No significant changes in plasma GH or LH were observed following orbito-frontal stimulation.
• Stimulation of the cingulate area did not elicit definite hormonal responses.

Conclusions:

• The orbito-frontal cortex appears to play a role in augmenting adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release.
• The orbito-frontal cortex does not seem to influence the release of GH or LH.
• Cingulate area stimulation did not demonstrate a clear role in regulating these specific hormones.