ArticleJournal of sleep research2026
Sleep and Rhythmic Profile After Pineal Gland Removal in Humans.
Article in Journal of sleep research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pineal Gland Volume, Sleep Quality, and Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2026Pooled it
- Ion-Triggered In Situ Gel Combined with Melatonin Liposomes: Breaking Through the Dual Barriers of Nasal and Brain Delivery to Treat Insomnia.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Sleep and Rhythmic Profile After Pineal Gland Removal in Humans.Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- Physiological Implications of Pancreatic Amyloid Polypeptide Aggregation and Its Inhibition by Melatonin.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, is classically described as a central circadian modulator. However, the impact of its absence on circadian rhythmicity in humans remains poorly understood. Pinealectomised patients, in whom melatonin secretion is chronically suppressed, represent a valuable clinical model to investigate the physiological role of this hormone in sleep and temporal organisation. This study evaluated sleep quality and sleep disorders, as well as circadian rhythmicity, in 17 individuals who underwent surgical or radiotherapeutic treatment for pineal tumours and exhibited confirmed absence of circulating melatonin. Participants were assessed through structured clinical interviews, standardised sleep questionnaires, sleep diaries and actigraphy recording for a minimum of 15 consecutive days. Rhythmic analysis was performed for sleep/wakefulness and rest/activity data. Mild nocturnal sleep symptoms were reported, but diurnal complaints were frequent. Despite the chronic absence of melatonin, all subjects maintained a 24-h sleep/wake cycle, and none met criteria for circadian sleep/wake disorders. We conclude that melatonin demonstrated not to be crucial for the maintenance of the circadian sleep/wake cycle in individuals with chronic melatonin absence due to pineal gland removal and minor sleep complaints are present in this population. Other synchroniser mechanisms possibly involving non-photic entrainment might play an important role in the maintenance of the circadian rhythm.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.