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EFFECTS OF MELATONIN ON SLEEP AND NEUROCHEMISTRY IN THE RAT
Author(s) -
HOLMES S.W.,
SUGDEN D.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1982.tb09194.x
Subject(s) - melatonin , neurochemistry , sleep (system call) , endocrinology , medicine , dopamine , serotonin , electroencephalography , catecholamine , tryptophan , psychology , chemistry , neuroscience , neurology , amino acid , biochemistry , receptor , computer science , operating system
1 The effects of intraperitoneally administered melatonin on sleep and brain neurochemistry in the rat were studied by use of EEG recording and standard fluorescence techniques. 2 Melatonin, 10 mg/kg, reduced time to sleep onset and time spent awake but increased both slow wave and paradoxical sleep. Qualitatively similar but smaller effects were produced by a dose of 2.5 mg/kg. 3 Neither dose of melatonin altered normal EEG patterns or disrupted normal sleep behaviour. 4 Melatonin, 20 mg/kg, did not significantly alter concentrations of tryptophan, 5‐hydroxytryptamine, 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid, noradrenaline or dopamine in any part of the brain. 5 It is concluded that the sleep promoting activity of melatonin cannot be related to gross changes in brain indoleamine and catecholamine levels.