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A number of researchers have suggested that the phase (timing) of circadian rhythms
in depressed patients is abnormal. Longitudinal studies could help to elucidate the
relationship between circadian phase and mood. Such studies would be facilitated by
the development of a noninvasive method for measuring circadian phase. In normal volunteers,
the concentration of salivary melatonin measurements has been shown to be significantly
correlated with those obtained in plasma; however, it is unknown whether salivary
melatonin measurements can reliably detect the unmasked time of onset of nocturnal
melatonin secretion (a measure of circadian phase). In addition, the relationship
between salivary and plasma melatonin measurements in medicated psychiatric patients
is unknown. We measured plasma and salivary melatonin simultaneously in a sample of
12 medicated patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder. The intraclass correlation
coefficient between plasma and salivary measures of the dim light melatonin onset
(DLMO) was 0.93. We therefore conclude that salivary melatonin can be used to determine
the time of the DLMO in this population.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
August 31,
1995
Received:
March 22,
1995
Identification
Copyright
© 1996 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc.
