The essence of the Incredible Hulk and Dr. David Banner

Case Study: One (1) I have chosen as my focus selection in the case study the character of Dr. David Banner. He is a slightly altered version of the comic book character Bruce Banner. Dr. David Banner was the television version played by Bill Bixby in the late 70’s and into the early 1980’s who morphs into the Hulk (played by legendary bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno). I chose this character because I can really delve into the character from a humanistic point of view. In other words, I can illustrate David’s humanity and how it transcends into the creature that he becomes. I also know a great deal about this character from following the series from the beginning. It is now 30 years later, and I still see this character as the embodiment of humanism.
Dr. David Banner: sex: M
age: 44
ethnicity: Caucasian
Marital status: Married twice with both wives being deceased (his first
dying in a car accident and his second of a terminal illness.
The former will be discussed in detail as it is intricate to the case history and how it originated and developed as it has. It also seems as if this event was the pivotal moment some of us have in our lives that drastically change the course of our existence. Dr. Banner and his wife were traveling on a country road around the Sacramento, CA area in their car. Then, suddenly while David was driving there was a blowout of their front tire and he lost control of the vehicle and the car slid off an embankment and turned over. David was thrown from the car. His wife was unconscious. David tried to get his door open but was unable to because of the dents from the crash.
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The car was now on fire from under the hood and would soon explode when the gas tank ignited. He could not open her door to free her because the car was tilted and situated as such, where the door could not open. He also tried kicking the window open, but was unable to. He tried frantically to lift the car enough so that he could open her door, but was also unable to do so, which was when the car exploded with his wife inside of it. Obviously, this was very traumatic and he had nightmares and had not been able to come to grips with the ordeal for nearly a year. This is what initially led Dr. Banner to research the superhuman strength that all human beings are capable of during extreme situations and levels of distress. He found 78 cases similar to his from other people and got their whole story, which ended ultimately with the person performing abnormal levels of human strength in order to save someone (almost always someone very close to them thus, correlating the emotional triggers in the brain). This left Dr. Banner with even more guilt and distress because these other individuals, some of whom consisted of small women, adolescents and older men who were able to save their people and he was not. The circumstances of all these cases were basically the same as his ordeal, so he was obsessed with the question, ”why were they able to find the strength and I was not?”. After much trial end error consisting of cell and DNA analysis, he and his research assistant Dr. Elaine Marks found that there was an abnormal concentration of the adenine/thymine combination. After having Dr. Banner’s own DNA tested he also showed that he had the abnormal concentration of the adenine/thymine combination. Thus, this still did not explain why Dr. Banner was unable to perform the feats of strength the other cases had.
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Finally they deduced that there was something external operating that caused the
phenomena. After additional trial and error, Dr. Banner hit on something that was common to all of the other 78 cases, however was missing in his. In all of the other individuals who were able to perform these extraordinary feats of strength, there was a correlation of strong gamma ray activity during such events. However, during David’s case there was a very low level of gamma activity, thus explaining why he was the exception in these cases of not being able to perform the superhuman strength. This breakthrough and discovery would inadvertently change Dr. Banner’s live considerably. He was so exited upon the discovery that he called his assistant Dr. Marks to explain, but she did not answer. David was so determined to test the now seemingly perfect theory, that he entered the radiology lab and conducted his own experiment. It should be noted that this discovery took place late at night and no one was in the radiation laboratory, although Dr. Banner certainly had access to it.
Dr. Banner set up the machine and dialed in the settings (300,000 units of gamma radiation for 15 seconds). This is not dangerous, but would be enough to prove his theory correct if it worked; and so it was done. However, one of the radiologists had been calibrating the equipment throughout the entire research facility recently, and this machine was one of them. It was not marked as such, simply because he was going to do it the next day and did anticipate anyone using the equipment at this hour. 300,000 units (the amount Dr. Banner thought he was administering) was the previous max on the machine, however, after calibration it translated to 2 million units. Now for the sake of argument, this would be a lethal dose even for 15 seconds in reality inducing tumors,
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cancers, thermal burns ect., however we are dealing with a fictional character here, so suspension of disbelief is required to some extent. Further investigation of the neuropsychological effects will be concentrated on in the next installment.
Moving on, after the radiation experiment was over, David tried lifting a very heavy object that he would normally not be able to. He was still unable to, which led him to great frustration and anger because he theory now seemed weak. Upon leaving the lab for the night, he discovered it was down pouring and began to drive home. He hit an object in the road and got a flat tire. While changing it, he sliced his hand with the tire iron. What happened next, was a startling metamorphoses as a result of the gamma exposure. Now that his DNA had been permanently altered, his fight or flight response triggers the change. After full metamorphoses, he grew to 7 feet and well over 300 pounds, his skin turned green and his strength was extremely magnified. He crushed his automobile by pounding it with his fists and then picked it up and threw it off the side of the road.
From this point on in his life, Dr. David Banner transforms into this creature. However, even though he becomes the creature primarily through anger, the creature is still very much a part of David, and thus because David’s humanity exists in the creature, it will not kill or permanently hurt anyone. This is where the humanistic model of psychology is exhibited within this character.
The five postulates of Humanistic Psychology by Bugental (1964) are all applicable to the creature in addition to Dr. Banner. More concentration will be placed on the creature side of Dr. Banner from this point since Dr. Banner’s history has been well established and we know that he is kind, gentle and compassionate; all of the necessary prerequisites for a
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great doctor in the author‘s opinion. The first postulate, “Human beings cannot be reduced to components”, is what illustrates the enormity of the creature’s existence. The creature, if looked at in components, would be huge, raging and extremely powerful. Although this is true, looking at the creature from a holistic point of view we see that it is compassionate, understanding and uses judgment according to other people’s actions. The creature still has David’s consciousness, which transcends all including DNA composition/alteration, cognition and higher intellectual functioning. In other words, if we look at human beings as components put together in order to function, like a mechanic looking or working on parts of an automobile, it is impossible to see the entire essence of the human. If a mechanic works on the engine and completely overhauls it to where it runs perfectly , there are still hundreds of other parts that may be lacking (dents/holes in the body, exhaust system rusted out, upholstery ripped up, steering column off axis ect.). If we were to view a picture of only the engine we might say, “Wow that’s incredible!) without knowing that the rest of the vehicle is in very bad shape. On the other hand we may look at the entire car with all of its faults, but not look under the hood at the heart of the vehicle and see that it is perfect. What the author is saying is that in order to get a true and clear picture of anything (especially a human being) we have to look at it as a whole rather than concentrate on little parts at a time. By doing this, we see that the creature is good an that he uses his power and strength to heal and help rather than destroy and hurt. The second postulate, “human beings have in them a uniquely human context” is also evident in the creature. It is obvious that the creature is unique, but the not so obvious is that the creature is able to sense and see the individual differences of the people he
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encounters. He does not see them as all the same. However, those humans that the creature encounters almost always run away screaming and yelling, or they try to hurt the creature. The latter is the opposite of what humanism is. These individuals see the creature as something different and they all treat it the same; with derision, fear and hostility. The third postulate, “human consciousness includes an awareness of oneself in the context of other people” further elaborates on the authors point for the second postulate in regards to the creature. The creature has a conscious. It is not a mindless raving killing machine. Consciousness transcends all as mentioned earlier, and David’s consciousness still resides within the creature. Thus, the creature is not out for its own survival, but makes the survival of those who are not as strong and powerful more bearable. The creature uses his strength to make others stronger instead of beating them down or making them feel victimized. The fourth postulate, “human beings have choices and with that responsibilities” is evident in how the creature chooses to deal with the situations he is given. The creature could easily kill or very seriously injure anyone it chooses, however, because of its sense of awareness, the creature knows that it could be held accountable for his actions and therefore, chooses to only inflict as much damage as necessary, while still maintaining the lives of those who have wronged him. Because of the creature’s awareness and consciousness, he knows that his power and strength are not as powerful as the consequences of those actions. Therefore, the essence of David Banner’s nature remains within the creature, where choices still exist. The fifth and final postulate, “human beings are intentional, they seek meaning, value and creativity“, is what leads the creature to explore things that it does not understand. Many times, the
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creature will come upon things or people that seem odd to him, and will stop and try to figure out what they are. For example, the creature was walking along the beach early in the morning and saw a little girl building a sandcastle. He saw that she was building it and wanted to reach out and help her. Not knowing how sand was composed, he ruined what she had built unintentionally and she was upset with him and scolded him. It should also be noted that the little girl did not run screaming or yelling as he approached her, but was rather curious since she had never seen something like this before. This brief interaction is a good example of the final postulate. On another occasion, the creature was running from capture and came upon a little boy who was crying because he lost his mother in a parking lot. The creature noticing this, stopped running and the boy approached the creature with his hands extended. The creature took his hand and tried to understand what was wrong. The point is that the creature knew that the child was hurting in some way and tried to understand why, purely on instinct.
It should be noted that in reality, the actors who portrayed Dr. Banner and The Incredible Hulk were going through some very humanistic ordeals in their life at the time during filming. Bill Bixby’s son had died of a rare infection and his wife had committed suicide shortly thereafter. Lou Ferrigno was going through real anger issues and still trying to come to grips with his 75% hearing loss from childhood. Perhaps, it was these things that were occurring with these real human beings, is what made the show and the characters so humanistic. In many ways, they were not acting but merely filtering what was actually occurring in their lives into the characters that they played. In any event, humanistic theology is exemplified in the character of both Dr. David Banner and The Incredible
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Hulk that he transforms into. David has experienced death, loneliness and despair, yet still continues to seek out a cure for what has occurred to him. He travels alone, but using his medical expertise and knowledge to help and assist all those who he comes into contact with. It is also safe to say that all of the people David has come into close contact with during his travels will remember him for the rest of their lives and he will remember them. This is the embodiment of humanism; have a positive effect (or at least try to) on all of the individuals one comes into contact with throughout one’s lifetime and do this one individual at a time. Achieving this is likely to be impossible, however it is the mindset and pursuit of this ideology that is what makes the difference. If every person on this planet were to do this and take this to heart in their existence, it is likely that war, famine, racism, sexism, ageism, murder, rape, violent crime and disease would decrease significantly or perhaps be eliminated altogether. Dr. David Banner took a very bad mistake and used its power to help others. There were many times that Dr. Banner came very close to finding a cure to rid him of the creature, but he sacrificed this in order to save others by using the creatures strength. In other words, he helped others in a way that he would normally not be able to, but he also helped them in ways that he was very familiar with. He did not only think of himself, but it was only because of his strong self-awareness that he was able to think of others in such a strong way. This is what humanism is all about and Dr. David Banner’s duality is an example of how to bring contrasting aspects of ourselves into a harmonious union to affect positive energy on those around us and in those around the world; like a ripple in a still pond.
As far as treatment and interventions, humanistic therapy will not be effective in this
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extreme case. Psycho-physiological methods and theories will be presented in the next case and treatment will be focused more squarely.






Case Study Two (1)
In the first installment of this case study, a humanistic point of view was taken in regards to Dr. Banner’s problem. However, in this installment neuro-psychiatric approaches will be the primary focus, and since Dr. David Banner’s issue is incredibly unorthodox and originated physiologically, the author believes the only method of approach in terms of treatment and finding a cure that will work is the psycho-physiological method. To review the case history and character background:
He is a slightly altered version of the comic book character Bruce Banner. Dr. David Banner was the television version played by Bill Bixby in the late 70’s and into the early 1980’s who morphs into the Hulk (played by legendary bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno). The author chose this character because I can really delve into the character and how it would be treated from a psycho physiological perspective. In other words, DNA analysis, radiation therapy, radiology and radiation in general will be covered; more specifically gamma radiation. I know a great deal about this character from following the series from the beginning. It is now 30 years later, and I still see this character as the embodiment of a different way of looking at, illustrating and applying the psycho-physiological model.
Dr. David Banner: sex: M
age: 44
ethnicity: Caucasian
Marital status: Married twice with both wives being deceased (his first
dying in a car accident and his second of a terminal illness).
The former will be discussed in detail as it is intricate to the case history and how it originated and developed as it has. It also seems as if this event was the pivotal moment
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some of us have in our lives that drastically change the course of our existence. Dr.
Banner and his wife were traveling on a country road around the Sacramento, CA area in their car. Then, suddenly while David was driving there was a blowout of their front tire and he lost control of the vehicle and the car slid off an embankment and turned over. David was thrown from the car. His wife was unconscious. David tried to get his door open but was unable to because of the dents from the crash. The car was now on fire from under the hood and would soon explode when the gas tank ignited. He could not open her door to free her because the car was tilted and situated as such, where the door could not open. He also tried kicking the window open, but was unable to. He tried frantically to lift the car enough so that he could open her door, but was also unable to do so, which was when the car exploded with his wife inside of it. Obviously, this was very traumatic and he had nightmares and had not been able to come to grips with the ordeal for nearly a year. This is what initially led Dr. Banner to research the superhuman strength that all human beings are capable of during extreme situations and levels of distress. He found 78 cases similar to his from other people and got their whole story, which ended ultimately with the person performing abnormal levels of human strength in order to save someone (almost always someone very close to them thus, correlating the emotional triggers in the brain). This left Dr. Banner with even more guilt and distress because these other individuals, some of whom consisted of small women, adolescents and older men who were able to save their people and he was not. The circumstances of all these cases were basically the same as his ordeal, so he was obsessed with the question, ”why were they able to find the strength and I was not?”.
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After much trial end error consisting of cell and DNA analysis, he and his research
assistant Dr. Elaine Marks found that there was an abnormal concentration of the adenine/thymine combination. After having Dr. Banner’s own DNA tested he also showed that he had the abnormal concentration of the adenine/thymine combination. Thus, this still did not explain why Dr. Banner was unable to perform the feats of strength the other cases had. Finally they deduced that there was something external operating that caused the phenomena. After additional trial and error, Dr. Banner hit on something that was common to all of the other 78 cases, however was missing in his. In all of the other individuals who were able to perform these extraordinary feats of strength, there was a correlation of strong gamma ray activity during such events. However, during David’s case there was a very low level of gamma activity, thus explaining why he was the exception in these cases of not being able to perform the superhuman strength. This breakthrough and discovery would inadvertently change Dr. Banner’s live considerably. He was so exited upon the discovery that he called his assistant Dr. Marks to explain, but she did not answer. David was so determined to test the now seemingly perfect theory, that he entered the radiology lab and conducted his own experiment. It should be noted that this discovery took place late at night and no one was in the radiation laboratory, although Dr. Banner certainly had access to it. Dr. Banner set up the machine and dialed in the settings (300,000 units of gamma radiation for 15 seconds). This is not dangerous, but would be enough to prove his theory correct if it worked; and so it was done. However, one of the radiologists had been calibrating the equipment throughout the entire research facility recently, and this machine was one of them. It was not marked as such,
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simply because he was going to do it the next day and did not anticipate anyone using the
equipment at this hour. 300,000 units (the amount Dr. Banner thought he was administering) was the previous max on the machine, however, after calibration it translated to 2 million units. Now for the sake of argument, this would be a lethal dose even for 15 seconds in reality inducing tumors, cancers, thermal burns ect., however we are dealing with a fictional character here, so suspension of disbelief is required to some extent. Further investigation of the neuropsychological effects will be touched upon shortly.
Moving on, after the radiation experiment was over, David tried lifting a very heavy object that he would normally not be able to. He was still unable to, which led him to great frustration and anger because his theory now seemed weak. Upon leaving the lab for the night, he discovered it was down pouring and began to drive home. He hit an object in the road and got a flat tire; while changing it, he slammed his hand into the asphalt. This triggered a very angry and frustrated response and what happened next, was a startling metamorphoses as a result of the gamma exposure. Now that his DNA had been permanently altered, his fight or flight response triggers the change. After full metamorphoses, he grew to 7 feet and well over 300 pounds, his skin turned green and his strength was extremely magnified. He crushed his automobile by pounding it with his fists and then picked it up and threw it off the side of the road. Dr. Banner lost consciousness at this point and when he regained consciousness, it was morning and he was in the woods looking into a small pond. This was the first of many transformations for Dr. Banner, but the triggers and results of the metamorphosis have always been the
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same. To understand what actually happens physiologically to Dr. Banner before, during and after metamorphosis, is to understand how to treat him and try and get him back to normal. First of all, the brain region that all human beings possess that regulate and responds to fear, anger, pain, frustration and any primal emotional reaction to a situation is the amygdala. This would be the best place to start regarding Dr. Banner’s primal emotional states before he becomes the creature, before we venture off into his DNA composition as a result of the overdose of gamma radiation. The amygdala triggers Dr. Banner’s physiological and psychological responses to specific stressors such as being beaten up, confined against his will, electrocution, nightmares, prevented from helping someone desperately in need, animal attacks and any other such occurrences. His physiological and psychological arousal at these particular times is completely normal because of the rage center that is the amygdala. However, there must be a correlation and connection with his DNA composition (now altered which we will address shortly) and the chemical reaction that occurs from the time that Dr. Banner’s amygdala goes into high gear, which results in the release of epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. These chemicals are released into his bloodstream and supply oxygen, amino acids and glucose to the brain and muscles, which may explain the characteristics of the metamorphosis. It is the authors hypothesis that the overdose of gamma radiation has altered his DNA to the point where protein synthesis during amygdala arousal, among other things has been magnified by an astronomical amount. With all of this in mind, we should now take a look at what actually may have occurred physiologically during Dr. Banner’s gamma radiation experiment gone awry.
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Keeping in mind that this is a fictional character is important, however theoretically, a case could be made that the overdose of gamma radiation altered Dr. Banner’s body chemistry and thus brought him to his current situation. Why would Dr. Banner subject himself to gamma radiation therapy? Although the passage of ionizing radiation through the human body can cause significant damage (which we will see shortly), with the right dosage and exposure, it can be used for treating cancer among other things. The dosimetry was altered when the tech recalibrated the machine as alluded to earlier. Going very deeply into radiology is quite complex and does not serve our purposes here. However a brief description of how radiation damage affects and alters DNA is what our focus will be in regards to Dr. Banner’s case. Since gamma rays have the shortest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum, they have the highest penetrating qualities and frequency and energy. In other words, gamma radiation is the most powerful and can most easily alter DNA composition. Thus, shielding for gamma radiation must consist of the highest atomic number and highest density materials such as lead and/or concrete. Dr. Banner did not use any shielding when he performed his experiment and would not have to if the calibration was what he thought it was and for the duration of exposure. However, because of the 2,000,000 million units he was exposed to, his DNA did not stand a chance. Now, theoretically, Dr. Banner’s cells could have repaired the damage caused by the sudden high level exposure to gamma. “Rothkamm and Lobrich have shown that the cell repairing process works well after short term high-dose exposure but is much slower in the case of a low-dose prolonged exposure” (Rothkamm, 2003). This could explain Dr. Banner’s failing to develop cancer or experiencing any symptoms of
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radiation sickness. Nonetheless, such a high dose of gamma caused his DNA to be altered. In addition, “ a small fraction of damage induced by gamma rays is not repaired in cells derived from individuals, which suggests that ionizing radiation induces some bulky damage (e.g. purine dimers) that cannot be removed by the base-excision repair pathway” (Randall, 1992). Again, this could explain Dr. Banners lack of radiation sickness and thermal burns. Specifically speaking, what causes DNA to mutate due to gamma exposure is that when a gamma photon moves through the living tissue of a human, it may rebound from an electron and give it a very high level of kinetic energy. Subsequently, this will result in ions and free radicals being released and break molecular bonds or they may form new stronger bonds. Most times these new stronger bonds are useless or even harmful to a cell, however in rare cases such as Dr. Banners, the defective genetic information is transmitted to its daughter cell and the mutation is an improvement. When the author says improvement, he is refering to Dr. Banner’s extremely quick regenerative qualities to injury and increase in strength and muscle mass. Thus far, the author has described how and why the phenomenon began and what occurs physiologically in regards to the genetic alteration of his body chemistry related to the gamma ray exposure. Now details, will be given as to how the muscle mass and strength increases so dramatically; or at least an applicable hypothesis. Going back to the amygdala and its anixiogenic properties, the author will now discuss how this relates to the production of gamma-amino butyric acid and its subsequent effect on muscle growth and strength. GABA is produced in Dr. Banner’s amygdala along with the hypothalamus by way of the amino acid glutamate.
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GABA is a neruotransmitter that “has been shown in numerous studies to promote significant increases in plasma growth hormone levels” (Koulu, 1980). It is the author’s hypothesis that gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a strong contributing factor as a trigger to Dr. Banner’s transformation. Inside the amygdala are many neurons that use the neurotransmitter gamma aminobuttyric acid (produced in the CNS) and promote muscle growth among other things. Dr. Banner is likely to have a normal functioning level of GABA, however, when outraged this neurotransmitter is kicked into overdrive when adrenaline, cortisol, oxygen, amino acids and glucose are flooded into his bloodstream. Thus his cells, which now contain his altered DNA are able to absorb an inordinate amount of these chemicals and thus results in the abnormally rapid and extreme muscle growth and strength. “There have been literally hundreds of clinical studies on GABA and numerous studies on GABA’s ability to elevate growth hormone levels. As with most nutritional studies, GABA research has come directly from the medical community. One noted study from the First Medical Clinic at the University of Milan in Milan, Italy titled, “Effect of acute and repeated administration of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) on growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man”, shows just how effective GABA is“ (Lazza, 1980.) For the sake of length however, David’s bone growth relating to cell biology and his DNA will not be discussed in order to keep the focus of the paper within reason. David’s skin turning green will also not be covered since the author wants to focus on radiation, DNA mutation and its relation to his transformation as a result of his anger. Finally, David’s interpersonal functioning is affected by this in that he tries to avoid trouble, conflict and frustration whenever and wherever he can. It should be noted
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that Dr. Banner’s transformations are triggered by severe conditions. In other words he will not transform by stubbing his toe, but would by having his toe crushed or cut off. He would not transform being stuck in a traffic jam, but would if that traffic jam was causing someone to die because they could not get to a hospital. Dr. Banner’s interpersonal functioning has not really been affected, except for the fact that he must move on to different parts of the country when the creature is brought out and cited in order to avoid the authorities. But, his actual interaction with others remains the same; calm, loving, caring and good. It should be noted that there has been an instance where David encountered another individual with the same exact problem. However, that individual had a very violent disposition and temperament, and so when he becomes the creature, the creature kills and has no control whatsoever for who it hurts. Since this is such a rare case, the author could only say at this point that radiation treatment to reverse the process may be an option and/or a program of drug therapy such as Ambien or any Benzodiazapines may help. However, since the creature is good, and uses his power to help and heal, the author may have to say that the world may be a better place in the macro sense with the Hulk in it.






References:

Effects of some gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic drugs on the dopaminergic control of human growth hormone secretion. Koulu M, Lammintausta R, Dahlstrom S J Clin Endocrinol Metab 51 (1): 124-129 (Jul 1980)

Effect of acute and repeated administration of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) on growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man. Cavagnini F, Invitti C, Pinto M, Maraschini C, Di Landro A, Dubini A, Marelli A Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 93 (2): 149-154 (Feb 1980)

"A single oral dose of 5 g gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) was given to 19 subjects and serial venous blood samples were obtained before and 3 h after drug administration. A placebo was administered to 18 subjects who served as controls. GABA caused a significant elevation of plasma growth hormone levels (P less than 0.001), but did not consistently alter plasma prolactin concentration since only 5 out of 15 subjects showed an increase of the hormone. Eight additional subjects were submitted to an insulin tolerance test before and after per os administration of 18 g GABA daily for 4 days. Protracted GABA treatment significantly blunted the response of growth hormone and enhanced that of prolactin to insulin hypoglycaemia (P less than 0.01). These results indicate that pharmacological doses of GABA affect growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man. The precise nature of GABA's effects as well as its mechanism of action remains to be clarified."

Cavagnini F, Benetti G, Invitti C, Ramella G, Pinto M, Lazza M, Dubini A, Marelli A, Muller EE J. Effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid on growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man: influence of pimozide and domperidone. Clin Endocrinol Metab 51 (4): 789-792 (Oct 1980)

Randall K. et al. – The effect of whole-body gamma-irradiation on localized beta-irradiation-induced skin reactions in mice – International Journal of Radiation Biology, 1992; 62 (6): 729-733.

Rothkamm K. - Evidence for a lack of DNA double-strand break repair in human cells exposed to very low x-ray doses - Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the USA, 2003; 100 (9) : 5057-5062.