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Published on: October 24, 2019
Melatonin and mental capacities in newborn infants
Sari Goldstein Ferber1, Heidelise Als, Gloria McAnulty
1Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. ferbers@post.tau.ac.il
Objectives:
To investigate the role of melatonin in the emergence of mental capacities in the newborn infant.
Study Design:
Assessment of Preterm Infant Behavior examination was performed at 2 weeks post-term age for 39 (21 preterm and 18 term) infants. 6-Suphatoxymelatonin from nocturnal urine samples was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and the Mental Developmental Index, assessed by Bayley scales, was correlated at 4, 6, and 9 months' corrected age.
Results:
Multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that improved autonomic function at 2 weeks of age was associated with higher Mental Developmental Index scores at 9 months when related to the amount of melatonin at 4, 6, and 9 months of age.
Conclusions:
Early compromised autonomic system function in preterm infants is associated with lower mental capacities and is related to lower melatonin levels at later ages.
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