Abstract
Data on the circadian melatonin secretion in sleep disordered patients and effects of sleep medication on melatonin are still missing. We studied plasma melatonin concentration, sleep, and effects of some hypnotics in 15 patients and 10 controls. Nocturnal melatonin levels were significantly decreased in patients with a more than five years history of sleep complaints compared to controls or patients with a shorter duration of illness. Independent of their sleep promoting properties drugs increased or decreased nocturnal melatonin in controls and patients. Patients with chronic sleep-wake rhythm disorders showed altered relations between their circadian melatonin secretion pattern and sleep. We conclude that nocturnal melatonin secretion is primarly independent of sleep regulation but represents a neuroendocrine feature of chronically disturbed sleep.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1987, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Third Edition, Revised. American Psychiatric Association (ed), Washington, DC.
American Sleep Disorder Association (ASDA), 1990, International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Kansas, Allen Press.
Czeisler, C.A., Allen, J.S., Strogatz, S.H., Ronda, J., Sanchez, R., Rios, D., Freitag, W.O., Richardson, G.S., and Kronauer R.E., 1986, Bright light resets the human circadian pacemaker independent of the timing of the sleep-wake cycle, Science 233:667–671.
Dawson, D. and Armstrong, S.M., 1996, Chronobiotics—Drugs that shift rhythms. Pharmcol. Ther. 69:15–36.
Dawson, D. and Encel N., 1993, Melatonin and sleep in humans, J. Pineal Res. 15:1–12.
Emens, J.S., Brotman, D.J., and Czeisler, C.A., 1994, Evaluation of the intrinsic period of the circadian pacemaker in a patient with a non-24-hour sleep-wake schedule disorder, J. Sleep Res. 23:256.
Fraser, S., Cohen, P., Franklin, U., Franey, C., and Arendt, J., 1983, A direct radioimmunoassay for melatonin, Clin. Chem. 29:799–805.
Hajak, G., Huether, G., Blanke, J., Bloemer, M., Freyer, C., Poeggeler, B., Reimer, A., Rodenbeck, A., Schulz-Varszegi, M., and Rüther, E., 1991, The influence of intravenous 1-tryptophan on plasma melatonin and sleep in men, Pharmacopsychiat. 24:17–20.
Hajak, G., Huether, G., Rodenbeck, A., and Rüther, E., 1993, Endocrine and sleep-inducing properties of L-tryptophan in men, in: Endocrine and nutritional control of basic biological functions, H. Lehnert, R. Murison, H. Weiner, D. Hellhammer, J. Beyer, eds, pp 315–332, Hogrefe & Huber, Seattle.
Hajak, G., Rodenbeck, A., Staedt, J., Bandelow, B., Huether, G., and Rüther, E., 1995, Nocturnal plasma melatonin levels in patients suffering from primary insomnia, J. Pineal Res. 19:166–222.
Hajak, G., Rodenbeck, A., Adler, L., Huether, G., Bandelow, B., Herrendorf, G., Staedt, J., and Rüther, E., 1996a, Nocturnal melatonin secretion and sleep after doxepin administration in chronic primary insomnia, Pharmacopsychatr. 29:187–192.
Hajak, G., Rodenbeck, A., Bandelow, B., Friedrichs, S., Huether, G., and Rüther, E., 1996b, Nocturnal plasma melatonin levels after flunitrazepam administration in healthy subjects, Eur. Neuopsychopharmacol. 6:149–153.
Honma, K.-I., Honma, S., Nakamura, K., Sasaki, M., Endo, T., and Takahashi, T., 1995, Differential effects of bright light and social cues on reentrainment of human circadian rhythms, Am. J. Physiol. 268:R528–R535.
Lewy, A.J. and Sack, R.L., 1989, The dim light melatonin onset as a marker for circadian phase position, Chronobiol. Int. 6:93–102.
Mayer, G., Rodenbeck, A., and Hajak, G., 1995, Störungen des circadianen Schlaf-Wach-Rhythmus—Diagnotische und therapeutische Prinzipien, Wien. Med. Wschr. 17/18:423–430.
Okawa, M., Uchiyama, M., Ozaki, S., and Shirakawa, S., 1996, Sleep-wake and body temperature rhythms in circadian rhythm sleep-disorders, Japanese-German International Symposium Sleep-Wake Disorders. Oct. 1996, Erfurt, Abstract Book.
Rechtschaffen, A. and Kales, A., 1968, A manual for standard terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages of human sleep, Public Health Service, Printing Office, Washington DC.
Rodenbeck, A., Hajak, G., Herrendorf, G., Staedt, J., Adler, L., Biutmann, V., Müller-Ißberner, R., Huether, G., and Rüther, E., 1994, Schlafpolygraphische und neuroendokrine Aspekte zur Wirkung trizyklischer Antidepressiva in der Behandlung von Insomnie-Patienten, Wien. Med. Wschr. Sonderheft: 125–128.
Rodenbeck, A., Hajak, G., and Huether, G., 1996, Melatonin in insomniac patients and effects of sleep medication, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 398:113–137.
Rodenbeck, A., Huether, G., and Hajak, G., 1998, Unsystematic alterations of melatonin secretion patterns in patients with chronic sleep-wake rhythm disorders, in: Biological clocks—Mechanisms and Applications. Proceedings of the International Congress on Chronobiology 1997, Y. Touitou, ed, pp 329–332, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Rodenbeck, A., Huether, G., Rüther, E., and Hajak, G., in press, Altered circadian melatonin secretion patterns in relation to sleep in patients with chronic sleep-wake rhythm disorders, J. Pineal Res.
Rosenthal, N.E., 1991, Plasma melatonin as a measure of the human clock. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 73:225–226.
Skene, D.J., Deacon, S., and Arendt, J., 1996, Use of melatonin in circadian rhythm disorders and following phase shifts, Acta Neurobiol. Exp. Warzawa. 56:359–362.
Wirz-Justice, A. and Pringle, C., 1987, The non-entrained life of a young gentleman at Oxford, Sleep. 10:57–61.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rodenbeck, A., Huether, G., Rüther, E., Hajak, G. (1999). Nocturnal Melatonin Secretion and its Modification by Treatment in Patients with Sleep Disorders. In: Huether, G., Kochen, W., Simat, T.J., Steinhart, H. (eds) Tryptophan, Serotonin, and Melatonin. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 467. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7133-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4709-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive