Goldberg-Stern Hadassa, Oren Heftsiba, Peled Nir, Garty Ben-Zion
Department of Child Neurology, Epilepsy Center, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
J Child Neurol. 2012 Dec;27(12):1524-8. doi: 10.1177/0883073811435916. Epub 2012 Feb 28.
Melatonin is effective for treating sleep-wake cycle disturbances and has been reported occasionally to decrease epileptic seizure frequency, with no long-term side effects. In this pilot study, the investigators examined the effect of melatonin on seizures, sleep quality, and behavior in 10 patients aged 9 to 32 years with intractable epilepsy. Patients were randomized to receive melatonin (10 mg daily at bedtime) followed by placebo or placebo followed by melatonin for 3 weeks each, with a 1-week washout period in between. Seizure frequency was monitored by daily diaries and actigraphy recordings; behavioral and sleep parameters were rated by caregivers. Diurnal seizures decreased significantly with melatonin compared with placebo (P = .034, Wilcoxon test). Maximal number of seizures, seizure duration, sleep efficiency or latency, and behavioral parameters remained unchanged. No major side effects or seizure aggravation were documented. It is concluded that melatonin could be effective and safe for decreasing daytime seizure frequency in patients with intractable epilepsy.
褪黑素对治疗睡眠-清醒周期紊乱有效，且偶尔有报道称其可降低癫痫发作频率，并无长期副作用。在这项初步研究中，研究人员检查了褪黑素对10名年龄在9至32岁的难治性癫痫患者的癫痫发作、睡眠质量和行为的影响。患者被随机分为两组，一组先服用褪黑素（睡前每日10毫克），然后服用安慰剂，另一组先服用安慰剂，然后服用褪黑素，每组各3周，中间有1周的洗脱期。通过每日日记和活动记录仪监测癫痫发作频率；行为和睡眠参数由护理人员评分。与安慰剂相比，褪黑素使日间癫痫发作显著减少（P = 0.034，Wilcoxon检验）。癫痫发作的最大次数、发作持续时间、睡眠效率或潜伏期以及行为参数均保持不变。未记录到重大副作用或癫痫发作加重情况。得出的结论是，褪黑素对于降低难治性癫痫患者的日间癫痫发作频率可能是有效且安全的。
