Plasma melatonin is reduced in Huntington's disease.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether the production of melatonin, a hormone regulating sleep in relation to the light/dark cycle, is altered in Huntington's disease. We analyzed the circadian rhythm of melatonin in a 24-hour study of cohorts of control, premanifest, and stage II/III Huntington's disease subjects. The mean and acrophase melatonin concentrations were significantly reduced in stage II/III Huntington's disease subjects compared with controls. We also observed a nonsignificant trend toward reduced mean and acrophase melatonin in premanifest Huntington's disease subjects. Onset of melatonin rise was significantly more temporally spread in both premanifest and stage II/III Huntington's disease subjects compared with controls. A nonsignificant trend also was seen for reduced pulsatile secretion of melatonin. Melatonin concentrations are reduced in Huntington's disease. Altered melatonin patterns may provide an explanation for disrupted sleep and circadian behavior in Huntington's disease, and represent a biomarker for disease state. Melatonin therapy may help the sleep disorders seen in Huntington's disease.

• Authors: Eirini Kalliolia, Edina Silajdžić, Rajasree Nambron, Nathan R Hill, Anisha Doshi, Chris Frost, Hilary Watt, Peter Hindmarsh, Maria Björkqvist, Thomas T Warner
• Journal: Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society (Mov Disord) Vol. 29 Issue 12 Pg. 1511-5 (Oct 2014) ISSN: 1531-8257 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25164424 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © © 2014 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Chemical References

• Melatonin

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Fourier Analysis
• Humans
• Huntington Disease (blood)
• Male
• Melatonin (blood)
• Middle Aged
• Severity of Illness Index