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Here are two interesting articles on Melatonin. I have seen where it has the same effect as selegiline in other places also, Rob 2nd e-mail will contain second article - not sure how much the PD Net will accept Melatonin (Dr. Paul A. Nausieda, MD) I've been told that melatonin is beneficial in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Is this true? Melatonin is a chemical substance which is synthesized in the brain within the pineal gland. The pineal gland is an interesting organ within the central nervous system. It is connected to the visual systems of the brain and in certain animals, such as snakes, serves as a heat sensing organ which helps the animal find prey. Centuries ago, the pineal gland was thought to have an important role in the activity of the central nervous system, and was thought to regulate the flow of fluid within the chambers of the central nervous system and somehow control body activity. For many years the pineal gland was thought to be a "useless" portion of the brain which reflected a remnant of the more primitive nervous system from which the human brain later developed. In the last 30 years it has been discovered that the pineal gland plays a role in the regulation of cyclic daily activities and seasonal changes in behavior in a variety of animal species. The pineal gland is thought to be important in the regulation of mating seasons in various animals and in human beings seems to have some role in the reulation of sleep and wakefulness as it relates to the cycles of light and dark which occur in the environment. There is a pathway which begins in the eye and sends information through a nonvisual pathway within the nervous system to a group of cells in the upper part of the neck. Cells from this area, the superior cervical ganglia, go back into the brain following a course along the major arteries of the neck. These fibers then enter the pineal gland. Numerous studies have identified the fact that a specific neurotransmitter substance, norepinephrine, is used as the transmitting substance of these fibers. This neurotransmitter, which is structurally similar to dopamine, appears to "turn on" an enzyme in the brain which allows the conversion of chemical compounds into the melatonin. When animals are in a dark environment the amount of melatonin which is produced decreases. These observations became important when it was noted that individuals who live in a climate which is predominantly dark (such as the northern United States or Scandinavia during the winter months) had a much higher incidence of depression. Melatonin levels in these individuals were found to be significantly reduced. The relationship between melatonin and depression was unclear, but a relationship did seem to exist. Many people felt that the reduced amount of norepinephrine being released might be the important link in associating mood disturbances with light/dark cycles. The use of high intensity light for treating depression was suggested as a possible treatment modality and has enjoyed some popularity even to this day. The important point is that melatonin itself was not felt to be the significant factor in modulating mood, it merely acted as a marker of activity within a neurotransmitter system in the brain. The recent enthusiasm for the use of melatonin in multiple medical disorders is not founded on any clear scientific data. The mere administration of melatonin does not appear to have any significant effect on neurotransmitter function. An analogy might be the observation that people who are depressed frequently sleep much longer than normal. Sleeping longer than normal will not make you depressed, however. The current enthusiasm for melatonin is based to a large degree on the unknown function of melatonin within the body. There is a possibility that melatonin has some other effects which we do not clearly recognize. Obviously, this is a topic which requires further study and is certainly worthy of investigation. The wide spectrum of problems which melatonin is being used to treat does raise some suspicions. There is no obvious relationship between conditions such as AIDS, the side effects of chemotherapy, insomnia, Alzheimer's disease, and a host of other medical illnesses. Another major problem involves the "placebo effect" in which therapeutic response to a drug is mediated by the patient's expectations of what is going to happen rather than any direct chemical activity of the compound. We at the Regional Center are certainly open to any observations which you may have on the effects of melatonin. We certainly would be willing to study these effects in a scientific manner, if any consistent observations seem to emerge. Before spending a great deal of money on an untested compound, however, a word of caution seems indicated. Although we have seen no adverse effects from taking melatonin, we have also not been impressed by any obvious benefits. Given the high cost of treatment for Parkinson's disease the use of this agent may provide an additional financial burden which might be avoided until better data becomes available. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn