[autismo-biologia] I: Reuters 20 aprile 2009

[daniela marianicerati]

Ricevo e trasmetto, a proposito di insonnia e melatonina, quanto segue


> Oggetto: Reuters 20 aprile 2009
> Data: Lunedì 20 Aprile 2009, 21:46
> Melatonin helps autistic children get to sleep
> Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:23pm EDT
> 
> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Three milligrams of melatonin
> at bedtime can effectively treat sleep problems in children
> with autistic spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, or
> both, according to a study reported in the current issue of
> the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
> "Melatonin can be considered a safe and effective
> pharmacologic treatment in addition to behavior therapies
> and sleep hygiene practices for the management of sleep
> problems in children with autistic spectrum disorder and
> fragile X syndrome," the study team concludes.
> 
> Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone, derived from
> the amino acid tryptophan. The hormone is important in
> regulating circadian rhythms, or the "sleep wake"
> cycle, and the reproduction cycle in mammals.
> 
> Fragile X syndrome is an inherited form of mental
> impairment resulting from a "fragile," or broken
> site, on the X chromosome. The syndrome affects 2 to 5
> percent of those with autism spectrum disorder, and symptoms
> of autism are common in children with fragile X.
> 
> Sleep problems are reported in up to 89 percent of children
> with autism and 77 percent of children with fragile X
> syndrome, Dr. Beth L. Goodlin-Jones, of the Medical
> Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (M.I.N.D.)
> Institute at the University of California Davis Health
> System in Sacramento, and colleagues note in their report.
> 
> In a 4-week study, 18 children, ranging in age from 2 to 15
> years, with autistic spectrum disorder and/or fragile X
> syndrome received either melatonin (3 milligrams) or placebo
> each night for 2 weeks. The children then "crossed
> over" to the other treatment group for 2 weeks.
> 
> Data from 12 children who completed the study showed that
> treatment with melatonin was associated with significant
> improvements in total night sleep durations, sleep latency
> times and sleep-onset times.
> 
> Specifically, Goodlin-Jones and colleagues report that the
> average night sleep duration was 21 minutes longer with
> melatonin than with placebo, the sleep-onset latency was 28
> minutes shorter, and the sleep-onset time was 42 minutes
> earlier.
> 
> "Sleep onset problems at the beginning of the night
> are very troublesome for children and their families,"
> Goodlin-Jones noted in a prepared statement accompanying the
> study. "Sometimes children may take one to two hours to
> fall asleep and often they disrupt the household during this
> time."
> 
> "The results of this study," she and her
> colleagues conclude, "suggest that melatonin is an
> effective treatment for sleep problems in children with
> autistic spectrum disorder and fragile X syndrome, a finding
> that is consistent with previous studies of children with
> autistic spectrum disorder and developmental
> disabilities."
> 
> SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, April 15, 2009.