Pillar G, Shahar E, Peled N, Ravid S, Lavie P, Etzioni A
Sleep Laboratory, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Pediatr Neurol. 2000 Sep;23(3):225-8. doi: 10.1016/s0887-8994(00)00161-2.
Five children with severe psychomotor retardation (mean age 8.2+/-3.6 years) and irregular sleep-wake patterns underwent 1 week of wrist actigraphic monitoring before and after treatment with 3 mg melatonin. Three underwent multiple measurements of urinary sulfatoxymelatonin levels. Urine sulfatoxymelatonin levels were abnormally low, without any significant day/night differences. Melatonin treatment increased nighttime sleep from 5.9+/-0.8 to 7.3+/-0.5 hours (paired t test, P<0.01) and sleep efficiency from 69.3%+/-6.2% to 88.3%+/-2.3% (P<0.01). Daytime sleep decreased from 3.2+/- 1.2 to 1.7+/-1.2 hours (P<0.05). Thus, no change in 24-hour total sleep time (9.1+/-1.5 vs. 9.0+/-1.6 hours) occurred. Administration of 3 mg melatonin to five severely psychomotor retarded children resulted in a significant improvement in their sleep-wake patterns.
五名患有严重精神运动发育迟缓（平均年龄8.2±3.6岁）且睡眠-清醒模式不规律的儿童，在接受3毫克褪黑素治疗前后，进行了为期1周的手腕活动记录仪监测。其中三名儿童多次测量了尿硫酸褪黑素水平。尿硫酸褪黑素水平异常低，且无明显的昼夜差异。褪黑素治疗使夜间睡眠时间从5.9±0.8小时增加到7.3±0.5小时（配对t检验，P<0.01），睡眠效率从69.3%±6.2%提高到88.3%±2.3%（P<0.01）。白天睡眠时间从3.2±1.2小时减少到1.7±1.2小时（P<0.05）。因此，24小时总睡眠时间没有变化（9.1±1.5小时对9.0±1.6小时）。对五名严重精神运动发育迟缓儿童给予3毫克褪黑素后，他们的睡眠-清醒模式有显著改善。
