ArticleCurrent neuropharmacology2022
The Dose and Duration-dependent Association between Melatonin Treatment and Overall Cognition in Alzheimer's Dementia: A Network Meta- Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.
Article in Current neuropharmacology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mapping new pharmacological interventions for cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Melatonin for prevention of delirium in patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit: a multiarm multistage adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial (DEMEL).Intensive care medicine · 2025Trial
- Risk of Hearing Loss in Patients Treated with Exendin-4 Derivatives: A Network Meta-Analysis of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Molecular Links Between Circadian Rhythm Disruption, Melatonin, and Neurodegenerative Diseases: An Updated Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Melatonin: A potential nighttime guardian against Alzheimer's.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Review
- Non-Cognitive Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease and Their Likely Impact on Patient Outcomes. A Scoping Review.Current treatment options in neurology · 2025Article
- Insufficient Sleep and Alzheimer's Disease: Potential Approach for Therapeutic Treatment Methods.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- The Vital Role of Melatonin and Its Metabolites in the Neuroprotection and Retardation of Brain Aging.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Melatonin: a ferroptosis inhibitor with potential therapeutic efficacy for the post-COVID-19 trajectory of accelerated brain aging and neurodegeneration.Molecular neurodegeneration · 2024Review
- The Crosstalk Between Amyloid-β, Retina, and Sleep for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review.Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports · 2024Review
- Melatonin as a Neuroprotective Adjunct in Bipolar Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Basic and clinical neuroscienceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors at 14 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile Alzheimer's dementia (AD) has a prevalence as high as 3-32% and is associated with cognitive dysfunction and the risk of institutionalization, no efficacious and acceptable treatments can modify the course of cognitive decline in AD. Potential benefits of exogenous melatonin for cognition have been divergent across trials.
objectiveThe current network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted under the frequentist model to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of exogenous melatonin supplementation on overall cognitive function in participants with AD in comparison to other FDA-approved medications (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, memantine, and Namzaric).
methodsThe primary outcome was the changes in the cognitive function [measured by mini-mental state examination (MMSE)] after treatment in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. The secondary outcomes were changes in the quality of life, behavioral disturbance, and acceptability (i.e., drop-out due to any reason and rate of any adverse event reported).
resultsThe current NMA of 50 randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) revealed the medium-term lowdose melatonin to be associated with the highest post-treatment MMSE (mean difference = 1.48 in MMSE score, 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs] = 0.51 to 2.46) and quality of life (standardized mean difference = -0.64, 95% CIs = -1.13 to -0.15) among all of the investigated medications in the participants with AD. Finally, all of the investigated exogenous melatonin supplements were associated with similar acceptability as was the placebo.
conclusionThe current NMA provides evidence for the potential benefits of exogenous melatonin supplementation, especially medium-term low-dose melatonin, in participants with AD.
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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.