Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland, which in turn is regulated by the hypothalamus in the brain (see chapter 2). The hypothalamus controls the release of growth hormone through the secretion of a stimulatory hormone and an inhibitory one, and it looks as if stress dwarfism involves too much release of the inhibitory hormone. Stress-induced overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system may play some role in this. Furthermore, the body becomes less responsive to what little growth hormone is actually secreted. Therefore, even administering synthetic growth hormone doesn’t
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