Skene D J, Lockley S W, James K, Arendt J
School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1999 Jun;50(6):715-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2265.1999.00714.x.
Blind individuals have different types of circadian rhythm disorders. In order to study these in the field reliable markers of circadian phase are required. The aim of the present study was to determine the usefulness of urinary cortisol as a marker rhythm in field studies. This was assessed by investigating the relationship between the cortisol rhythms and the previously determined melatonin rhythms from a large sample of blind people with different types of circadian rhythm disorders.
Field study
Registered blind subjects (n = 49) classified as having light perception or better (n = 19, 12 men, 7 women, aged 23-61 years) or having no conscious perception of light (n = 30, 24 men, 6 women, aged 19-72 years) were studied in their normal environment.
Sequential 4-hourly urine samples (plus an overnight sample) were collected for 48 h each week for 3-5 weeks. Urinary cortisol and 6-sulphatoxymelatonin were measured by radioimmunoassay.
Irrespective of the type of circadian rhythm (entrained or free-running), there was a significant correlation between the characteristics of the 6-sulphatoxymelatonin and cortisol rhythms in the blind subjects.
Urinary cortisol is recommended as a useful marker of circadian phase in field studies in addition to urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin measurements.
盲人有不同类型的昼夜节律紊乱。为了在该领域研究这些紊乱，需要可靠的昼夜节律相位标志物。本研究的目的是确定尿皮质醇作为现场研究中节律标志物的有用性。通过调查皮质醇节律与大量患有不同类型昼夜节律紊乱的盲人样本中先前测定的褪黑素节律之间的关系来评估这一点。
现场研究
将登记的盲人受试者（n = 49）分为有光感或更好视力的（n = 19，12名男性，7名女性，年龄23 - 61岁）或无光觉的（n = 30，24名男性，6名女性，年龄19 - 72岁），在他们的正常环境中进行研究。
每周连续4小时采集尿样（加一个过夜样本），共采集3 - 5周，每周采集48小时。通过放射免疫分析法测量尿皮质醇和6 - 硫酸氧褪黑素。
无论昼夜节律类型（同步或自由运行）如何，盲人受试者中6 - 硫酸氧褪黑素和皮质醇节律特征之间均存在显著相关性。
除了测量尿6 - 硫酸氧褪黑素外，建议将尿皮质醇作为现场研究中昼夜节律相位的有用标志物。
