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The effects of oral melatonin on the autonomic function in healthy subjects
Author(s) -
Kitajima Tsuyoshi,
Kanbayashi Takashi,
Saitoh Yasushi,
Ogawa Yuriko,
Sugiyama Tomonari,
Kaneko Yoshihiko,
Sasaki Yoshiko,
Aizawa Rika,
Shimisu Tetsuo
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00866.x
Subject(s) - melatonin , heart rate , blood pressure , baroreflex , medicine , endocrinology , setpoint , autonomic nervous system , anesthesia , artificial intelligence , computer science
We investigated the influence of melatonin on the human autonomic functions by measuring muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Five healthy male volunteers took 3 mg of melatonin, and their plasma melatonin concentration, blood pressure, heart rate, and burst rate of MSNA were then recorded. The peak level of melatonin concentration showed a marked interindividual variation. Blood pressure was reduced significantly, while heart rate and burst rate of MSNA did not change significantly. These results indicate that melatonin has a hypotensive effect on blood pressure, and the central cardiovascular regulatory mechanism such as lowering of the baroreflex setpoint would be involved in the effect.