Shibui K, Uchiyama M, Okawa M
Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Chiba, Japan.
J Biol Rhythms. 1999 Feb;14(1):72-6. doi: 10.1177/074873049901400110.
The aim of this study was to compare circadian and sleep characteristics between patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) and healthy controls. The authors studied 8 DSPS patients and 15 normal controls. Serum melatonin concentration was assessed every hour for 24 h under dim light conditions. The sleep phase and the melatonin rhythm in DSPS patients were significantly delayed compared to those in normal controls. Sleep length was significantly greater in DSPS patients compared to that in controls, but the duration of melatonin secretion did not differ between the two groups. The final awakening, relative to melatonin onset, melatonin midpoint, and melatonin offset, was significantly longer in DSPS patients than in controls. By contrast, the timing of sleep onset relative to melatonin rhythm did not differ between the two groups. The authors found a significant positive correlation between sleep phase markers and melatonin phase markers in DSPS. They postulate that a delayed circadian pacemaker may be responsible for delayed sleep phase syndrome. The alteration of phase angle between melatonin rhythm and sleep phase suggested that not only the delay of the circadian clock but also a functional disturbance of the sleep-wake mechanism underlies DSPS.
本研究的目的是比较睡眠相位延迟综合征（DSPS）患者与健康对照者的昼夜节律和睡眠特征。作者研究了8名DSPS患者和15名正常对照者。在昏暗灯光条件下，每小时评估一次血清褪黑素浓度，持续24小时。与正常对照者相比，DSPS患者的睡眠相位和褪黑素节律明显延迟。DSPS患者的睡眠时间明显长于对照者，但两组之间褪黑素分泌的持续时间没有差异。相对于褪黑素开始、褪黑素中点和褪黑素结束，DSPS患者的最终觉醒时间明显长于对照者。相比之下，两组之间相对于褪黑素节律的入睡时间没有差异。作者发现DSPS患者的睡眠相位标记物与褪黑素相位标记物之间存在显著正相关。他们推测，昼夜节律起搏器延迟可能是睡眠相位延迟综合征的原因。褪黑素节律与睡眠相位之间相位角的改变表明，不仅昼夜节律时钟延迟，而且睡眠-觉醒机制的功能障碍也是DSPS的基础。
