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Related Experiment Videos

Melatonin excretion with affect disorders over age 60.

Daniel F Kripke1, Shawn D Youngstedt, Katharine M Rex

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0667, USA. dkripke@ucsd.edu

Psychiatry Research
|May 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Melatonin secretion in older adults with depression shows varied results. A history of affective disorders was linked to higher melatonin metabolite excretion, but current depression was not.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Conflicting reports exist on melatonin secretion in depression.
  • Melatonin secretion naturally declines with age, prompting investigation in aging populations.
  • Circadian rhythm alterations, including melatonin phase and duration, are implicated in depression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between melatonin secretion and depression in an aging sample.
  • To examine if a history of affective disorders influences melatonin excretion in older adults.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 72 volunteers aged 60-78 with mood or sleep complaints.
  • Collected 24-hour fractional urine specimens at home and in the laboratory.
  • Measured 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), a major melatonin metabolite, using radioimmunoassay.

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Main Results:

  • Observed a 55-fold range in home aMT6s excretion rates.
  • A lifetime history of affective disorder correlated with higher aMT6s excretion (mesor).
  • Current major depression showed no significant association with melatonin excretion levels or timing.

Conclusions:

  • Findings offer weak support for the photoperiodic hypothesis of depression in aging individuals.
  • Melatonin excretion patterns in older adults may be more complex than previously assumed.
  • Further research is needed to clarify the role of melatonin in geriatric depression.