Thyrotropin-releasing hormone test and male unipolar depression

Change in maximal TSH response to a TRH infusion were measured in 18 unipolar depressed males and 2 control groups matched for age, sex, and base-line thyroid status. The mean maximal change in TSH response was significantly lower for the unipolar than the control groups. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed. By using a deltaTSH cutoff of 7.0 rather than 5 microIU/ml, 14 rather than 7 depressed patients were correctly identified as having a blunted deltaTSH; 29 rather than 32 to 36 control patients were correctly identified as having a normal deltaTSH score.