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Response to Melatonin Treatment in Children With Autism spectrum Disorder and Relationship to Sleep Parameters and

Elena Martinez-Cayuelas1, Milagros Merino-Andreu2, Rebeca Losada-Del Pozo1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria- Fundación Jiménez Díaz. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Journal of Child Neurology
|May 16, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Immediate-release melatonin improved sleep onset and efficiency in children with autism spectrum disorder. This treatment also helped restore typical circadian rhythm patterns, indicated by wrist temperature changes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Sleep problems are prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • Melatonin is a common treatment, but its effects on circadian and sleep parameters in ASD are not fully understood.
  • Previous research has not well established the relationship between melatonin and specific circadian/sleep metrics in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of immediate-release melatonin on circadian and sleep parameters in drug-naïve children with autism spectrum disorder.
  • To determine if melatonin treatment can normalize circadian rhythm patterns and improve sleep quality in this cohort.
  • To explore correlations between melatonin timing and sleep efficiency improvements.

Main Methods:

  • A naturalistic study involving 26 drug-naïve children with ASD (mean age 10.50 ± 2.91 years).
  • Participants were monitored before and after treatment with immediate-release melatonin.
  • Circadian rhythms and sleep parameters were assessed using an ambulatory circadian-monitoring device and saliva samples for dim light melatonin onset (DLMO).

Main Results:

  • Immediate-release melatonin treatment led to modifications in circadian rhythm, evidenced by increased nocturnal wrist skin temperature.
  • A significant positive correlation was observed between the timing of peak melatonin levels and improvements in sleep efficiency.
  • Sleep-onset latency decreased, and sleep efficiency improved following melatonin administration.

Conclusions:

  • Immediate-release melatonin appears to be an effective intervention for improving sleep onset and efficiency in children with autism spectrum disorder.
  • Melatonin treatment may help restore a typical circadian wrist temperature pattern, which is often disrupted in ASD.
  • Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the mechanisms and long-term benefits of melatonin in managing sleep disturbances in ASD.

Keywords:
actigraphyautism spectrum disordercircadian rhythmmelatoninsleeptemperature

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