ArticleSleep2010
Endogenous melatonin is not obligatory for the regulation of the rat sleep-wake cycle.
Article in Sleep, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prospective analysis of salivary melatonin levels in patients with symptomatic pineal cysts.Acta neurochirurgica · 2026Article
- Sleep and Rhythmic Profile After Pineal Gland Removal in Humans.Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- Neurochemical Insights into the Role of Tryptophan Metabolites and Kynurenine Pathway in Insomnia and its Psychological and Neurological Comorbidities.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Changes of melatonin secretion in the neuropathic pain induced sleep disorder model rat.Sleep and biological rhythms · 2024Article
- Sleep timing and the circadian clock in mammals: Past, present and the road ahead.Seminars in cell & developmental biology · 2022Review
- Keep Your Mask On: The Benefits of Masking for Behavior and the Contributions of Aging and Disease on Dysfunctional Masking Pathways.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Review
- Melatonin attenuates morphine-induced conditioned place preference in Wistar rats.Brain and behavior · 2021Article
- Empowering Melatonin Therapeutics withDiseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Agomelatine treatment corrects impaired sleep-wake cycle and sleep architecture and increases MTPsychopharmacology · 2020Article
- Melatonin: Countering Chaotic Time Cues.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2019Article
- Differential Function of Melatonin MTFrontiers in endocrinology · 2019Review
- Challenges of the pharmacological management of benzodiazepine withdrawal, dependence, and discontinuation.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2018Review
- The Role of the Mammalian Prion Protein in the Control of Sleep.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2017Review
- Neural Circuitry of Wakefulness and Sleep.Neuron · 2017Review
- The contribution of the pineal gland on daily rhythms and masking in diurnal grass rats, Arvicanthis niloticus.Behavioural processes · 2016Article
- Genetic background influences age-related decline in visual and nonvisual retinal responses, circadian rhythms, and sleep.Neurobiology of aging · 2015Article
- Fundamental issues related to the origin of melatonin and melatonin isomers during evolution: relation to their biological functions.International journal of molecular sciences · 2014Review
- Sites of action of sleep and wake drugs: insights from model organisms.Current opinion in neurobiology · 2013Review
- Evaluation of the role of chronic daily melatonin administration and pinealectomy on penicillin-induced focal epileptiform activity and spectral analysis of ECoG in rats: an in vivo electrophysiological study.Neurochemical research · 2013Article
- Effects of melatonin on DNA damage induced by cyclophosphamide in rats.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
objectivesThough melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists are in clinical use and under development for treating insomnia, the role of endogenous melatonin in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle remains uncertain. Some clinical case reports suggest that reduced nocturnal melatonin secretion is linked to sleep disruption, but pineal-gland removal in experimental animals has given variable results.
designThe present study examined the effects of pinealectomy on the diurnal sleep-wake cycle of rats implanted with a radiotransmitter to allow continuous measurement of cortical electroencephalogram, electromyogram, and core temperature (Tc) without restraint in their home cages. MEASUREMENTS AND
resultsTc was slightly (0.2 degrees C) but significantly lower after pineal removal. The total amount and diurnal distribution of locomotor activity, wake, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were unaltered in pinealectomized rats compared to sham-operated controls. Sleep consolidation measured by determining wake, NREM sleep, and REM sleep bout length and frequency was also unchanged. The EEG power spectrum during NREM sleep was unchanged, but a significant decrease in theta power (5-8 Hz) during REM sleep episodes was found.
conclusionsOur data provide no evidence that endogenous circulating melatonin plays a role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle in rats. However, because cortical theta oscillations are generated in the CA1-3 layer of the hippocampus, neurons known to express melatonin receptors, this suggests that a lack of melatonin following pineal removal influences the function of these neurons and is consistent with previous work suggesting that endogenous melatonin is an important regulator of hippocampal physiology.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.