Psychosomatic Medicine 11:146-150 (1949)
© 1949 American Psychosomatic Society

Responsivity of Schizophrenic Men to Pituitary Adrenocorticotrophin

¹ Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, the Department of Physiology, Tufts Medical School, and the Research Service of the Worcester State Hospital

Two schizophrenic men who exhibited a normal adrenocortical responsivity to administered adreno-corticotrophin and 7 men with no significant responsivity were given over a period of twelve to fourteen days a dietary supplement high in proteins and vitamins. All of the subjects exhibited at the end of the dietary supplement significant increases in plasma ascorbic acid and globulin and decreases in total plasma protein and albumin. All save one had lower blood hemoglobin concentrations. There was no significant change in blood lymphocyte number and irregular but average drops in total leukocytes and red blood cells. All of the subjects save 2 showed a net gain in weight. Despite these obvious evidences of nutritional repair the ACTH responsivity of the originally responsive men did not change and only 1 of the 7 ACTH nonresponders exhibited a normal ACTH responsivity at the end of the dietary supplement period. It is suggested that the responsivity of schizophrenic men to ACTH is not a function of their nutritional status nor of their C-avitaminosis.

Note:
On leave of absence from the Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

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