Melatonin News and Research

RSS

Melatonin, also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes. In animals, circulating levels of the hormone melatonin vary in a daily cycle, thereby allowing the entrainment of the circadian rhythms of several biological functions.

Melatonin viable alternative for REM sleep behavior disorder treatment

Clonazepam and melatonin appear to be equally effective for the treatment of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder symptoms, although melatonin may be better tolerated, a naturalistic clinical study shows.

8 Feb 2013

Top-line results from Vanda's tasimelteon Phase IIb/III study on major depressive disorder

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced top-line results of the Phase IIb/III clinical study (MAGELLAN) in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), investigating the efficacy and safety of tasimelteon as a monotherapy in the treatment of patients with MDD.

31 Jan 2013

Musical tones can reset the brain and effectively reduce insomnia

If you are among the 50 percent of Americans who suffer from insomnia, then you have probably tried everything – from warm milk to melatonin pills or prescription medications to induce sleep – with varying degrees of success and side effects. But what if sleep could be achieved not by a substance, but through 'balancing' brain activity?

21 Nov 2012

Melatonin improves sleep in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Melatonin increases the length of time spent asleep and reduces the time it takes to get to sleep for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, compared with placebo, show study results published in the British Medical Journal.

9 Nov 2012

Exposure to short-wavelength blue light enhances CAR in sleep deprived adolescents

Adolescents can be chronically sleep deprived because of their inability to fall asleep early in combination with fixed wakeup times on school days. According to the CDC, almost 70 percent of school children get insufficient sleep—less than 8 hours on school nights.

23 Oct 2012

Night work can increase risk of cancer in men

Night work can increase cancer risk in men, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by a research team from Centre INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier and Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Universit- de Montr-al.

16 Oct 2012

Melatonin supplementation improves sleep in hypertensive patients on beta-blockers

Over 20 million people in the United States take beta-blockers, a medication commonly prescribed for cardiovascular issues, anxiety, hypertension and more. Many of these same people also have trouble sleeping, a side effect possibly related to the fact that these medications suppress night-time melatonin production. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that melatonin supplementation significantly improved sleep in hypertensive patients taking beta-blockers.

28 Sep 2012

Combination of two neuroprotective therapies shows promise against Alzheimer's

The combination of two neuroprotective therapies, voluntary physical exercise, and the daily intake of melatonin has been shown to have a synergistic effect against brain deterioration in rodents with three different mutations of Alzheimer's disease.

27 Sep 2012

New online, peer-reviewed journal on cardiovascular endocrinology

Wolters Kluwer Health is pleased to announce the publication of Cardiovascular Endocrinology, a new online, peer-reviewed journal committed to fostering effective collaboration between cardiologists and endocrinologists in addressing diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and related diseases and conditions.

24 Sep 2012

Sleep medicine and research: an interview with James K. Walsh

There are a variety of sleep medicines. I am going to refer to what are commonly described as hypnotics or sleeping pills. Sleeping pills have been around for a long time.

24 Sep 2012

REM sleep behavior disorder more common than reported

A troubling sleep disorder that causes sleepers to physically act out their dreams by kicking, screaming or falling out of bed may be more common than reported, according to Loyola University Medical Center sleep specialist Dr. Nabeela Nasir.

21 Sep 2012

World experts shed light on the extent of dangers of night-time artificial lighting

"The most important thing for us is to raise awareness of the dangers of artificial light at night and we have already come a long way now that the American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced its new policy recognizing adverse health effects of exposure to light at night and encouraging further research into the matter," said Prof. Abraham Haim, a leading authority on light pollution, who coordinated the 21st International Congress of Zoology (ICZ) that was held last week at the University of Haifa, Israel.

12 Sep 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

Fighting the physical consequences of jet lag in elite athletes

Research suggests that having a good understanding of preflight, in-flight, and postflight management options helps clinicians, athletes, and coaches minimize the adverse consequences of travel fatigue and jet lag on elite athletic performance.

2 Jul 2012

New melatonin analogues more efficient in inhibiting NOS activity in Parkinson's disease

University of Granada researchers have tested melatonin analogues in rats as it inhibits the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which is involved in the development of conditions as inflammatory bowel disease, septic shock or rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in neurodegenerative conditions as Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

22 Jun 2012

Inserm researchers examine effect of night work on women’s health

Breast cancer is the number one cause of female mortality. It affects 100 out of 100,000 women per year in developed countries. Each year, more than 1.3 million new cases are diagnosed, 53,000 of these in France. The risk factors of breast cancer are varied. They include genetic mutations, late first pregnancy, low parity or hormone therapy, but other causes of breast cancer such as way of life, environmental or professional causes have not yet been completely identified.

20 Jun 2012