Stimulation of prolactin and growth hormone secretion by muscimol, a γ-aminobutyric acid agonist

The alteration in circulating levels of PRL, GH, TSH, and cortisol was studied after the oral administration of muscimol (3-hydroxy-5-aminomethylisoxazole) to human subjects with Huntington's disease (n = 4) and chronic schizophrenia (n = 5). PRL levels rose significantly in a dose-dependent fashion within a 120-min time interval. GH rose significantly but modestly over the same time interval, whereas TSH and cortisol levels remained unchanged. Since muscimol is thought to be a potent and specific γ-aminobutyric acid agonist, these data indicate that γ-aminobutyric acid-mediated neural transmission may function to stimulate the release of plasma PRL and GH in human subjects.