CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 129Circadian rhythm and melatoninAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchSleep and Wakefulness Research

Day and nighttime excretion of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin in adolescents and young adults with autistic disorder

Tordjman, Sylvie, Anderson, George M., Bellissant, Eric, Botbol, Michel, Charbuy, Henriette, Camus, Françoise, Graignic, Rozenn, Kermarrec, Solenn +3 more·2012·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.013
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Background Several reports indicate that nocturnal production of melatonin is reduced in autism. Our objective was to examine whether melatonin production is decreased during the whole 24-h cycle, whether the melatonin circadian rhythm is inverted, and whether the reduction in melatonin production is related to the severity of autistic behavioral impairments.Method Day and nighttime urinary excretion of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (6-SM) was examined during a 24-h period in post-pubertal individuals with autism (N=43) and typically developing controls (N=26) matched for age, sex and pubertal stage.Results Low 6-SM excretion (mean ± SEM) was observed in autism, both at daytime (0.16 ± 0.03 vs. 0.36 ± 0.05 μg/h, p<0.01), nighttime (0.52 ± 0.07 vs. 1.14 ± 0.23 μg/h, p<0.05), and during 24h (8.26 ± 1.27 vs. 18.00 ± 3.43 μg/24-h collection, p<0.001). Intra-individual nighttime-daytime differences (delta values) in 6-SM excretion were smaller in individuals with autism than in controls (0.36 ± 0.07 vs. 0.79 ± 0.23 μg/h, p<0.05). Nocturnal excretion of 6-SM was negatively correlated with autism severity in the overall level of verbal language (Spearman ρ=-0.30, p<0.05), imitative social play (Spearman ρ=-0.42, p<0.05), and repetitive use of objects (Spearman ρ=-0.36, p<0.05).Conclusion A deficit in melatonin production is present both at daytime and at nighttime in individuals with autism, particularly in the most severely affected individuals. These results highlight interest in potential therapeutic uses of melatonin in autistic disorder, especially in individuals with severe autistic impairment and/or low urinary 6-SM excretion.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.013

Cites

44 of 44 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The summer-birth association strengthens the hypothesis of a possible role of a deficit in melatonin in the development of ASD.

    “It strengthens the hypothesis developed by several authors [for a review, see Ref. (83–85)] of a possible role of a deficit in melatonin in the development of ASD (the production of melatonin is powerfully suppressed by light acting through the retino-hypothalamic tract).”

    From Gene × Environment Interactions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Role of Epigenetic Mechanisms (2014) · cites this paper as [84]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Tordjman, S., Anderson, G. M., Bellissant, E., Botbol, M., Charbuy, H., Camus, F., Graignic, R., Kermarrec, S., Fougerou, C., Cohen, D., & Touitou, Y.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Yale University (US)
  • Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (FR)
  • Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier (FR)
  • Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Tordjman, Sylvie
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-12
Volume
37
Issue
12
Pages
1990-1997
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.013
OpenAlex
W2117696756
Cited by
129
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 10
FWCI
3.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Foundation de France (Paris)
  • Alan B. Slifka Foundation (New York City)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, melatonin, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, urinary excretion, circadian rhythm, melatonin deficiency, autism severity, social dysfunction, repetitive behavior, melatonin therapy
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Autistic Disorder, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Humans, Male, Melatonin, Neuropsychological Tests, Urine, Case-Control Studies, Young Adult

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review