[Progressive exhaustion of the psychotropic effect of T.R.H. Clinical and neuroendocrinologic study]

The progressive exhaustion of the psychotropic effect of T.R.H. clinical and neuroendocrinological study. The study of a complicated clinical case permitted us to use T.R.H. because of the ineffectiveness of other psychotropic agents the patient (male, aged 38) was given previously. A major and atypical depressive state with severe anorexia was lasting from several months. T.R.H. was administered 3 times per day (at 8 h. 11 h and 14 h) as an intravenous injection of 0.5 mg of T.R.H. lasting 1 min. (total dose per day: 1.5 mg). From the 1st to 7th day the patient showed a market improvement) in the depression symptoms, followed by a light degradation observed from the 7th to 10th day. During a third phase, he showed wild improvement which was maintened stable from the 10th to the 21st day. Then, there was a progressive return to the state prior to T.R.H. period till the 30th day. This phase lasted up to the end of the therapeutic trial of T.R.H. These fluctuations of the depressive state were not found to be correalted with significant plasma-T.R.H. changes and seem to happen when changes in catecholamines and/or serotonin were not observed, according to methods used. Independently of various theoritical approaches concerning the mechanism of psychotropic T.R.H. action, it seems that its effect is exhausted progressively and rapidly.