The Role of Growth Hormone in Neural Development

Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) is integrally involved in the development of the central nervous system (CNS), as well as during its recovery from injury, two processes that share many similarities and may influence CNS functionality. This review discusses some of the most recent findings in the field and, in particular, the ontogeny, distribution, regulation and putative functions of GH and its receptor within the CNS, particularly during development. The relative roles of peripheral GH, acting in part through insulin-like growth factor-I, and of the autocrine/paracrine GH system within the brain are considered. The potential role of GH as a therapeutic agent to influence brain development and function is discussed.

The Relationship of Poor Linear Growth Velocity with Neonatal Illness and Two-Year Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants

“…However, given that LZ is highly related to protein and growth factor status, we speculate that preclinical models that document protein restriction and growth factor suppression resulting in smaller hippocampal volumes may be relevant to humans [16]. IGF-1 and GH are potentially neuroprotective and neurostimulatory in animal models, as well as in healthy children [16,27,28] and GH treatment improves IQ and linear growth in growth-restricted children [29]. Similar correlations between linear growth and cognition are seen in children institutionalized in Romania who demonstrate a pattern of growth failure that is also characterized by greater length than weight suppression [15].…”

Growth hormone treatment enhances the functional recovery of sciatic nerves after transection and repair

“…[46][47][48] Within the nervous system, GH has been shown to promote cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. 49 In addition, GH is known to play a major role in neural development 50 and several lines of evidence suggest that the GH/GHR pathway also plays a role in neuroregeneration. [13][14][15] In this regard, it should be highlighted that GH therapy has been proven to exert beneficial effects on the treatment of several central nervous system pathologies, including cerebral palsy 51,52 and the neurological sequelae of traumatic brain injury or oncological brain surgery.…”

Extrapituitary growth hormone

“…GH has also been detected in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) [21], and may reflect sequestration through the blood-brain barrier [22], although as the concentration is lowered in patients with neural degeneration [23,24], it is likely to reflect neural GH production. Within the nervous system, roles for GH in neural development are now well established and have been reviewed in recent years [25][26][27][28]. Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of GH in the regulation of brain growth and development and in neuronal differentiation and function.…”