In the last few years, considerable attention has been paid to the presence of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGF-BPs) in the brain and peripheral neuronal tissue. IGFs are synthesized within the CNS, are bound to specific IGF-BPs and act on specific receptors. They represent a new class of growth factors and messengers in the brain and the periphery. Written by a group of outstanding experts in the field, the book provides an invaluable forum where important aspects of the production, regulation, biological actions, pathophysiological involvement, therapeutic...

Readers of this book can update their knowledge in the fast-moving field of endocrinology and neurobiology. Topics concerning growth and development are extensively reviewed from both basic science and clinical viewpoints. Aspects related to growth development and to the control of cellular differentiation and multiplication are discussed. Further new information is provided on: synthetic recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH); potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of the neuropeptide, growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH); the physiology and physiopathology of the neural...