Abstract
Human infants with the maternal deprivation syndrome have poor growth and elevated plasma growth hormone (GH) concentrations which have been ascribed to either psychological factors or inadequate caloric intake. Infant Rhesus monkeys were studied as a potential model of the psychological or nutritional effects of weaning and maternal separation upon the GH response to growth hormone releasing factor (GHRF). After 60 min of equilibration, six 3-month old monkeys at the California Primate Research Center were given 10 mcg/kg of GHRF intravenously and sera was analyzed for GH by radioimmunoassay at -30,-15,0,7,15,30,60 and 120 min. The infants were then weaned from their mothers and housed in nursery observation cages and 7 days later the GHRF study was repeated. Two animals had no change in peak GH values after weaning, while the other four had a significant increase in peak GH and rise in GH after GHRF (mean ± SD).
The changes were unrelated to nutritional deprivation as all animals were eating normally and gaining weight by the second study. The weanling Rhesus monkey may reflect the early endocrine changes of maternal deprivation in children.
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Singh, J., Falloon, L. & Styne, D. 48 THE EFFECT OF WEANING AND MATERNAL SEPARATION UPON GROWTH HORMONE RESPONSE TO GROWTH HORMONE RELEASING FACTOR IN THE INFANT RHESUS MONKEY. Pediatr Res 19, 611 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198506000-00068
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198506000-00068