Premium
Melatonin disturbances in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Kennedy Sidney H.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199411)16:3<257::aid-eat2260160306>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - melatonin , anorexia nervosa , endocrinology , bulimia nervosa , pinealocyte , medicine , pineal gland , circadian rhythm , psychology , serotonin , eating disorders , psychiatry , receptor
The pineal gland releases melatonin into the blood stream in response to sympathetic noradrenergic stimulation of pinealocytes. This process is inhibited by light via the retino‐hypothalamic‐pineal pathway. Hence melatonin is predominantly released in darkness. Because serotonin is a precursor of melatonin, the intake of dietary tryptophan may also influence melatonin levels. Although the exact physiological role of melatonin in humans is unclear, it appears to be implicated in reproductive physiology, especially in terms of the onset of menarche. Low levels of melatonin also occur in depression. In this review, studies of melatonin in patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are considered in relation to potential abnormalities of noradrenergic function and circadian rhythm. The influence of weight loss, binging and purging, and depression on melatonin is discussed. Other studies involving the assessment of melatonin in relation to menstrual function are required. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.