The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Melatonin in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate melatonin-related findings in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified. METHOD: Comprehensive searches were conducted in the PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, and ERIC databases from their inception to October 2010. Two reviewers independently assessed 35 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, meta-analysis was performed on five randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, and the quality of these trials was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist. RESULTS: Nine studies measured melatonin or melatonin metabolites in ASD and all reported at least one abnormality, including an abnormal melatonin circadian rhythm in four studies, below average physiological levels of melatonin and/or melatonin derivates in seven studies, and a positive correlation between these levels and autistic behaviors in four studies. Five studies reported gene abnormalities that could contribute to decreased melatonin production or adversely affect melatonin receptor function in a small percentage of children with ASD. Six studies reported improved daytime behavior with melatonin use. Eighteen studies on melatonin treatment in ASD were identified; these studies reported improvements in sleep duration, sleep onset latency, and night-time awakenings. Five of these studies were randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies; two of the studies contained blended samples of children with ASD and other developmental disorders, but only data for children with ASD were used in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found significant improvements with large effect sizes in sleep duration (73 min compared with baseline, Hedge's g 1.97 [95% confidence interval {CI} CI 1.10-2.84], Glass's Δ 1.54 [95% CI 0.64-2.44]; 44 min compared with placebo, Hedge's g 1.07 [95% CI 0.49-1.65], Glass's Δ 0.93 [95% CI 0.33-1.53]) and sleep onset latency (66 min compared with baseline, Hedge's g-2.42 [95% CI -1.67 to -3.17], Glass's Δ-2.18 [95% CI -1.58 to -2.76]; 39 min compared with placebo, Hedge's g-2.46 [95% CI -1.96 to -2.98], Glass's Δ-1.28 [95% CI -0.67 to -1.89]) but not in night-time awakenings. The effect size varied significantly across studies but funnel plots did not indicate publication bias. The reported side effects of melatonin were minimal to none. Some studies were affected by limitations, including small sample sizes and variability in the protocols that measured changes in sleep parameters. INTERPRETATION: Melatonin administration in ASD is associated with improved sleep parameters, better daytime behavior, and minimal side effects. Additional studies of melatonin would be helpful to confirm and expand on these findings.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
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?
In the citing paper
“Out of 18 studies, the average overall improvement rate from melatonin for sleep disturbances in individuals with ASD was over 84% [58].”
From Pharmacological treatment in autism: a proposal for guidelines on common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms (2025) · cites this paper as [58]
In the citing paper
“Children with ASD have lower urinary melatonin secretion than typical children, suggesting possibly lower production levels [57, 58].”
From Pharmacological treatment in autism: a proposal for guidelines on common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms (2025) · cites this paper as [58]
In the citing paper
“Sleep abnormalities affect 80% of children with ASD and range from reduced sleep duration to parasomnias 2627.”
From Gastrointestinal Issues and Autism Spectrum Disorder (2020) · cites this paper as [26]
Citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–200 of 471
A literature review of sleep problems and neurodevelopment disorders
Lihabi, A. A. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1122344 · Cited by 65
“In other words, persons with ASD would experience circadian abnormalities due to their failure to reflect their internal clock on environmental and social rhythms (19).”
BackgroundHeussler, H., Chan, P., Price, A. M. H., Waters, K. A., Davey, M. J., & Hiscock, H. (2012) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2012.09.023 · Cited by 54
“A number of reviews have summarized the evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of paediatric insomnia in typically developing children [4] and in children with visual impairment [33], autism [34,35], and ADHD [36].”
BackgroundSavino, R., Carotenuto, M., Polito, A. N., Noia, S. D., Albenzio, M., Scarinci, A., Ambrosi, A., Sessa, F., Tartaglia, N., & Messina, G. (2020) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci10090631 · Cited by 53
Manelis, L., Meiri, G., Ilan, M., Faroy, M., Michaelovski, A., Flusser, H., Menashe, I., & Dinstein, I. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-04973-2 · Cited by 57
“…studies that will assess the severity of the two symptom domains before and after interventions that target one of them (e.g., use 1 3 of Melatonin; Rossignol & Frye, 2011, or techniques that reduce sensory sensitivities; Souders et al., 2017, Weitlauf et al., 2017) are highly warranted for…”
BackgroundStructure-guided isoform identification for the human transcriptome
Sommer, M. J., Cha, S., Varabyou, A., Rincon, N., Park, S., Minkin, I., Pertea, M., Steinegger, M., & Salzberg, S. L. (2022) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.82556 · Cited by 40
Liang, X., Haegele, J. A., Tse, A. C. Y., Li, M., Zhang, H., Zhao, S., & Li, S. X. (2024) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101913 · Cited by 58
Dell’Osso, L., Massoni, L., Battaglini, S., Cremone, I. M., Carmassi, C., & Carpita, B. (2022) · Annals of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12991-022-00390-6 · Cited by 48
“[36] investigated genes coding for melatonin receptors such as melatonin receptor 1A (MNTR1A), MTNR1B, GPR50, reporting, in a case, variants in genes MTNR1A and MTNR1B among 2.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSalanitro, M., Wrigley, T., Ghabra, H., de Haan, E. H. F., Hill, C. M., Solmi, M., & Cortese, S. (2022) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104723 · Cited by 48
Melatonin as a Mediator of the Gut Microbiota–Host Interaction: Implications for Health and Disease
Bonmatí‐Carrión, M., & Rol, M. A. (2023) · Antioxidants · doi:10.3390/antiox13010034 · Cited by 57
“It is not surprising then that individuals with ASD present significantly more impaired circadian rhythms [200,201] and sleep parameters, including sleep onset latency and sleep duration and efficiency [202,203].”
BackgroundComplementary and alternative medicine for autism spectrum disorders: Rationale, safety and efficacy
Whitehouse, A. (2013) · Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health · doi:10.1111/jpc.12242 · Cited by 48
Carter, M. D., Calcutt, M. W., Malow, B. A., Rose, K. L., & Hachey, D. L. (2012) · Journal of Mass Spectrometry · doi:10.1002/jms.2051 · Cited by 48
Kuo, H., & Liu, F. (2018) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2018.00422 · Cited by 48
“Treatment with melatonin is able to reduce such sleep disturbance as well as autistic behavior among ASD individuals (Rossignol and Frye, 2011).”
BackgroundPistollato, F., Forbes-Hernández, T. Y., Iglesias, R. C., Ruíz, R., Elexpuru-Zabaleta, M., Cianciosi, D., Giampieri, F., & Battino, M. A. (2019) · Pharmacological Research · doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104579 · Cited by 49
Hayashi, M., Mishima, K., Fukumizu, M., Takahashi, H., Ishikawa, Y., Hamada, I., Sugioka, H., Yotsuya, O., & Yamashita, Y. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05139-w · Cited by 38
Caregiver burden among caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder
van Niekerk, K., Stancheva, V. P., & Smith, C. (2023) · South African Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v29i0.2079 · Cited by 48
“8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 In addition, the complexity of the disorder, associated comorbidities and lifelong nature contribute to the burden experienced by caregivers.”
BackgroundManter, M. A., Birtwell, K. B., Bath, J., Friedman, N. D. B., Keary, C. J., Neumeyer, A. M., Palumbo, M. L., Thom, R. P., Stonestreet, E., Brooks, H., et al. (2025) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-024-03814-0 · Cited by 51
“Out of 18 studies, the average overall improvement rate from melatonin for sleep disturbances in individuals with ASD was over 84% [58].”
Wang, H., Zhang, H., & Su, Y. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12131677 · Cited by 48
“Stimulated by darkness, melatonin secretion increased in the darkness and peaked in the middle of the night, then decreased during the daytime to orchestrate the sleep–wake circle [105].”
BackgroundCounting Sheep: Sleep Disorders in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Herrmann, S. (2015) · Journal of Pediatric Health Care · doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2015.07.003 · Cited by 52
Evidence-Based Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Politte, L. C., Howe, Y. J., Nowinski, L. A., Palumbo, M., & McDougle, C. J. (2015) · Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s40501-015-0031-z · Cited by 54
Benson, S., Bender, A. M., Wickenheiser, H., Naylor, A., Clarke, M. E., Samuels, C. H., & Werthner, P. (2018) · Developmental Neurorehabilitation · doi:10.1080/17518423.2018.1501777 · Cited by 45
Sleep as a translationally-relevant endpoint in studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Missig, G., McDougle, C. J., & Carlezon, W. A. (2019) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0409-5 · Cited by 49
Schroder, C. M., Banaschewski, T., Fuentes, J., Hill, C. M., Hvolby, A., Posserud, M.-B. R., & Bruni, O. (2021) · Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy · doi:10.1080/14656566.2021.1959549 · Cited by 44
“duration (44 min compared with placebo) and sleep-onset latency (39 min compared with placebo) [23].”
BackgroundResultKeogh, S., Bridle, C., Siriwardena, A. N., et al. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221428 · Cited by 42
Dysregulation of Circadian Rhythms in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Pinato, L., Spilla, C. S. G., Markus, R. P., & Cruz‐Machado, S. D. S. (2019) · Current Pharmaceutical Design · doi:10.2174/1381612825666191102170450 · Cited by 46
Reduced sleep pressure in young children with autism
Arazi, A., Meiri, G., Danan, D., Michaelovski, A., Flusser, H., Menashe, I., Tarasiuk, A., & Dinstein, I. (2019) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsz309 · Cited by 42
Care of the patient with an autism spectrum disorder by the general physician
Venkat, A., Jauch, E. C., Russell, W. S., Crist, C. R., & Farrell, R. (2012) · Postgraduate Medical Journal · doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2011-130727 · Cited by 43
“Insomnia can be treated with improved sleep hygiene (bedtime routines and avoiding parental/care giver reinforcement of bad sleep practices) and possibly melatonin.(26) 56 It is appropriate for the general physician to refer a patient with an ASD with evidence of a sleep disturbance to a sleep specialist for long-term…”
BackgroundImpact of Sleepwise: An Intervention for Youth with Developmental Disabilities and Sleep Disturbance
Moss, A., Gordon, J., & O’Connell, A. C. (2014) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2040-y · Cited by 40
“2012) and/or slow-release melatonin in children with ASD (De Leersnyder et al. 2011; Rossignol and Frye 2011).”
BackgroundInfluentialFrazier, T. W., Krishna, J., Klingemier, E. W., Beukemann, M., Nawabit, R., & Ibrahim, S. (2017) · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine · doi:10.5664/jcsm.6398 · Cited by 40
“Pharmacologic treatment studies, 9 including studies of supplements such as melatonin, 10 have indicated significant benefit in improving sleep in children with ASD.”
Couteur, A. S. L., & Szatmári, P. (2015) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118381953.ch51 · Cited by 49
Highly accurate isoform identification for the human transcriptome
Sommer, M. J., Cha, S., Varabyou, A., Rincon, N., Park, S., Minkin, I., Pertea, M., Steinegger, M., & Salzberg, S. L. (2022) · doi:10.1101/2022.06.08.495354 · Cited by 40
Shochet, I. M., Saggers, B. R., Carrington, S. B., Orr, J. A., Wurfl, A. M., Duncan, B. M., & Smith, C. L. (2016) · Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10567-016-0203-4 · Cited by 48
“2012), and melatonin has been found to improve sleep initiation and duration (Rossignol and Frye 2011).”
BackgroundGenetic and neural mechanisms of sleep disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder: a review
Ji, Q., Li, S., Zhao, J.-B., Xiong, Y., Du, X., Wang, C.-X., Lu, L., Tan, J.-Y., & Zhu, Z.-R. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1079683 · Cited by 41
Addressing the Genetics of Human Mental Health Disorders in Model Organisms
McCammon, J. M., & Sive, H. L. (2015) · Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics · doi:10.1146/annurev-genom-090314-050048 · Cited by 42
Comorbid Behavioral Problems and Psychiatric Disorders in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Belardinelli, C., & Raza, M. (2016) · Journal of Childhood & Developmental Disorders · doi:10.4172/2472-1786.100019 · Cited by 49
Ramtekkar, U. P. (2017) · Children · doi:10.3390/children4080062 · Cited by 43
“Several randomized controlled trials of melatonin in ASD demonstrated that treatment with melatonin was associated with increased sleep duration and decreased sleep latency [55,56].”
BackgroundUsing a Behavioral Treatment Package for Sleep Problems in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Knight, R. M., & Johnson, C. M. (2014) · Child & Family Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1080/07317107.2014.934171 · Cited by 38
Bertelli, M. O., Azeem, M. W., Underwood, L., Scattoni, M. L., Persico, A. M., Ricciardello, A., Sappok, T., Bergmann, T. J., Keller, R., Bianco, A., et al. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95720-3_16 · Cited by 43
Malow, B., & Maxwell-Horn, A. (2017) · Seminars in Neurology · doi:10.1055/s-0037-1604353 · Cited by 37
Lamy, M., Pedapati, E. V., Dominick, K. C., Wink, L. K., & Erickson, C. A. (2020) · Pediatric Drugs · doi:10.1007/s40272-020-00408-0 · Cited by 39
Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a pathophysiological link – Part I
Herbert, M. R., & Sage, C. (2013) · Pathophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.pathophys.2013.08.001 · Cited by 37
“[44] D.”
Antioxidant interventions in autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis
Liu, Y., Yang, Z., Du, Y., Shi, S., & Cheng, Y. (2021) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110476 · Cited by 35
Dietary Approaches to the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Hartman, R. E., & Patel, D. (2020) · Advances in neurobiology · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-30402-7_19 · Cited by 37
Melatonin: An option for managing sleep disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder
Damiani, J. M., Sweet, B. V., & Sohoni, P. (2013) · American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy · doi:10.2146/ajhp130215 · Cited by 34
Relia, S., & Ekambaram, V. (2018) · Medical Sciences · doi:10.3390/medsci6040095 · Cited by 33
“Most commonly, a dose of 1–3 mg is recommended to be administered 30–60 min before intended bedtime [31].”
Backgroundde Mattos, B. D. S., Soares, M. S. P., Spohr, L., Pedra, N. S., Teixeira, F. C., de Souza, A. Á., Stefanello, F. M., Baldissarelli, J., Gamaro, G. D., & Spanevello, R. M. (2020) · International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience · doi:10.1002/jdn.10025 · Cited by 38
“Indeed, evidences showed GABA interneurons are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress (Rossignol & Frye, 2011).”
BackgroundSleep in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Corkum, P. V., Davidson, F. D., Tan-MacNeill, K. M., & Weiss, S. K. (2014) · Sleep Medicine Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2014.02.006 · Cited by 38
Melatonin in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: How Does the Evidence Fit Together?
Veatch, O. J., Goldman, S. E., Adkins, K. W., & Malow, B. A. (2015) · PubMed · Cited by 33
Investigating Potential Biomarkers in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Bridgemohan, C. F., Cochran, D., Howe, Y. J., Pawlowski, K. G., Zimmerman, A. W., Anderson, G. M., Choueiri, R., Sices, L., Miller, K. J., Ultmann, M. H., et al. (2019) · Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnint.2019.00031 · Cited by 36
Neurophysiology of circadian rhythm sleep disorders of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities
Jan, J. E., BAX, M. C. O., Owens, J. A., Ipsiroglu, O., & Wasdell, M. B. (2012) · European Journal of Paediatric Neurology · doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2012.01.002 · Cited by 33
Onaolapo, O. J., & Onaolapo, A. Y. (2017) · Birth Defects Research · doi:10.1002/bdr2.1171 · Cited by 31
“…and regulation of synaptic plasticity (Kong et al., 2008; Tordjman et al., 2013); and adequate maternal and placental melatonin levels are vital to normal fetal brain development, with reports that low levels are frequently associated with autism spectrum disorder (Rossignol & Frye, 2011).”
BackgroundA small-molecule screen reveals novel modulators of MeCP2 and X-chromosome inactivation maintenance
Lee, H.-M., Kuijer, M. B., Blanes, N. R., Clark, E. P., Aita, M., Arjona, L. G., Kokot, A., Sciaky, N., Simon, J. M., Bhatnagar, S., et al. (2020) · Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders · doi:10.1186/s11689-020-09332-3 · Cited by 30
Ballester, P., Martínez, M. J., Inda, M., Javaloyes, A., Richdale, A. L., Muriel, J., Belda, C., Toral, N., Morales, D., Fernández, E., et al. (2019) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881119864968 · Cited by 30
“, 2003) and the sleep parameters which improve after treatment (Rossignol and Frye, 2011).”
BackgroundMethodWaddington, H. L., McLay, L., Woods, L., & Whitehouse, A. (2020) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04475-7 · Cited by 31
“This may be related to issues with melatonin production in individuals with ASD, as melatonin impacts circadian rhythms, which can effect sleep (Carmassi et al. 2019; Rossignol and Frye 2011; Veatch et al. 2015).”
BackgroundDecades of Progress in the Psychopharmacology of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Henneberry, E. A., Lamy, M., Dominick, K. C., & Erickson, C. A. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05237-9 · Cited by 32
Ayyash, H. F., Preece, P., Morton, R., & Cortese, S. (2015) · Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics · doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1041511 · Cited by 32
“Our results are also in line with a more recent meta-analysis of five randomized double-blind placebocontrolled studies in children with ASD, showing a significant improvement in sleep latency and total sleep duration in 80% of the participants [17].”
ResultA brief primer on sleep for pediatric and child clinical neuropsychologists
Beebe, D. W. (2011) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.602014 · Cited by 31
“For example, there is good evidence that children with autism spectrum and insomnia display improved sleep with melatonin treatment, but data related to daytime symptoms and behavior are limited (Rossignol & Frye, 2011).”
BackgroundMorning Plasma Melatonin Differences in Autism: Beyond the Impact of Pineal Gland Volume
Maruani, A., Dumas, G., Beggiato, A., Traut, N., Peyre, H., Cohen-Freoua, A., Amsellem, F., Elmaleh, M., Germanaud, D., Launay, J., et al. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00011 · Cited by 28
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sleep
Johnson, K., & Zarrinnegar, P. (2024) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2023.06.013 · Cited by 29
Wichniak, A., Jankowski, K. S., Skalski, M., Skwarło‐Sońta, K., Zawilska, J. B., Żarowski, M., Poradowska, E., & Jernajczyk, W. (2017) · Psychiatria Polska · doi:10.12740/pp/68918 · Cited by 28
“Studies confirm the efficacy of melatonin use in children with autism spectrum disorders [21], Angelman syndrome [28], tuberous sclerosis [29], and Rett syndrome [26].”
BackgroundInfluentialGenário, R., Giacomini, A. C. V. V., Demin, K. A., dos Santos, B. E., Marchiori, N. I., Volgin, A. D., Bashirzade, A. A., Amstislavskaya, T. G., de Abreu, M. S., & Kalueff, A. V. (2019) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.025 · Cited by 29
Understanding the role of sleep and its disturbances in Autism spectrum disorder
Ramanujam, K., Cardinali, D. P., Venkat, S., Spence, D. W., Brown, G. M., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2020) · International Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/00207454.2019.1711377 · Cited by 30
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders: how do they sleep?
Belli, A., Breda, M., Maggio, C. D., Esposito, D., Marcucci, L., & Bruni, O. (2022) · Current Opinion in Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000790 · Cited by 30
“Nocturnalmelatonin secretion is diminished or delayed in ASD and levels of melatonin and/ or its urinarymetabolicderivatives inversely correlatewith sleep problems and autistic behaviors [22].”
BackgroundIpsiroglu, O., Wind, K., Hung, Y.-H., Berger, M., Chan, F., Yu, W. K., Stöckler, S., & Weinberg, J. (2018) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2018.10.006 · Cited by 27
Emerging therapeutics agents and recent advances in drug repurposing for Alzheimer’s disease
Neha, N., & Parvez, S. (2022) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2022.101815 · Cited by 28
Activity and circadian rhythm influence synaptic Shank3 protein levels in mice
Sarowar, T., Chhabra, R., Vilella, A., Boeckers, T. M., Zoli, M., & Grabrucker, A. M. (2016) · Journal of Neurochemistry · doi:10.1111/jnc.13709 · Cited by 29
Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a pathophysiological link part II
Herbert, M. R., & Sage, C. (2013) · Pathophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.pathophys.2013.08.002 · Cited by 28
Holdman, R., Vigil, D., Robinson, K. J., Shah, P., & Contreras, A. E. (2021) · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · doi:10.1089/can.2020.0154 · Cited by 32
“In support of these findings, a meta-analysis of 18 studies measuring melatonin use in the ASD population by Rossignol and Frye 51 found significant improvements in sleep duration and sleep onset latency when compared with placebo.”
Agomelatine: A Potential Multitarget Compound for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Savino, R., Polito, A. N., Marsala, G., Ventriglio, A., Salvatore, M. D., de Stefano, M. I., Valenzano, A. A., Marinaccio, L., Bellomo, A., Cibelli, G., et al. (2023) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci13050734 · Cited by 27
“Due to the low bioavailability of melatonin as a supplement, AGM would represent a better pharmacological strategy for restoring melatoninergic homeostasis and physiological circadian rhythmicity [41,70].”
BackgroundAdvancing role of melatonin in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders
Mahmood, D., Muhammad, B. Y., Alghani, M., Anwar, J., el-Lebban, N., & Haider, M. (2016) · Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.ejbas.2016.07.001 · Cited by 25
“In ASD, low levels of melatonin and melatonin metabolite has been noted as compared to control subjects, and their exogenous administration have shown improvement in sleep parameters and daytime behavior, and minimized side effects [128,129].”
BackgroundThe Role of Melatonin in Cancer Development
Liu, S., Madu, C. O., & Lu, Y. E. (2018) · Oncomedicine · doi:10.7150/oncm.25566 · Cited by 23
Seo, W. S. (2021) · Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science · doi:10.12701/yujm.2021.01410 · Cited by 27
“In a meta-analysis of 35 studies including five randomized double-blind and placebo-controlled studies, melatonin increase TST by 73 minutes and decrease SL by 66 minutes from baseline [56].”
The role of microRNAs in the molecular link between circadian rhythm and autism spectrum disorder
Kim, J. Y., Kim, W., & Lee, K. (2023) · Animal Cells and Systems · doi:10.1080/19768354.2023.2180535 · Cited by 27
“Several studies have focused on the role of the 24-hour periodic rhythm in ASD since aberrant melatonin levels, patterns, and sleep problems have been associated with the ASD (Melke et al. 2008; Doyen et al. 2011; Rossignol and Frye 2011; Wu et al. 2020b; Martinez-Cayuelas et al. 2022).”
BackgroundSleep disturbances in autism spectrum disorder: Animal models, neural mechanisms, and therapeutics
Maurer, J. J., Choi, A., An, I., Sathi, N., & Chung, S. (2023) · Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms · doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2023.100095 · Cited by 31
“Numerous studies indicate that patients with ASD have abnormal levels of melatonin throughout the day, compared with peers, which may contribute to sleep disturbances (Goldman et al., 2014; Melke et al., 2008; Rossignol and Frye, 2011; Tordjman et al., 2005; Veatch et al., 2015b).”
BackgroundHendren, R. L. (2013) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.chc.2013.03.002 · Cited by 27
Melatonin as the Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation and Immune Dysregulation: A Narrative Review
Szataniak, I., & Packi, K. (2025) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms26146731 · Cited by 23
Raghavan, R., Anand, N. S., Wang, G., Hong, X., Pearson, C., ZUCKERMAN, B. S., Xie, H., & Wang, X. (2022) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-01992-0 · Cited by 22
“Studies that have assessed melatonin (a precursor of 5-MTX and a metabolite that possesses similar properties [15]) is shown to be altered in ADHD [44–46] and ASD [39, 47–55] and is associated with autistic social communication impairments [38, 39, 55, 56].”
BackgroundMcLay, L.-L. K., & France, K. G. (2014) · Developmental Neurorehabilitation · doi:10.3109/17518423.2014.904452 · Cited by 23
Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and typical development
Inthikoot, N., & Chonchaiya, W. (2020) · Pediatrics International · doi:10.1111/ped.14496 · Cited by 23
Woodford, E. C., McLay, L., France, K. G., Blampied, N. M., Gibbs, R. M., Swan, C. E., & Eggleston, M. (2021) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101433 · Cited by 22
Liu, X., Cui, Y., Zhang, Y., Guo, X., Meng, Y., Wang, X., Qiu, B., Li, X., Liu, W., & Zhang, D. (2022) · Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy · doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113949 · Cited by 22
Updated View on the Relation of the Pineal Gland to Autism Spectrum Disorders
Shomrat, T., & Nesher, N. (2019) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00037 · Cited by 22
“One of the proposed biological causes of autism is malfunction of the pineal gland (5, 6).”
BackgroundAutism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy
Babayeva, M., Assefa, H., Basu, P., & Loewy, Z. G. (2022) · Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite · doi:10.31083/j.fbe1401001 · Cited by 27
The rationale for treating uveal melanoma with adjuvant melatonin: a review of the literature
Hagström, A., Omar, R. K., Williams, P. A., & Stålhammar, G. (2022) · BMC Cancer · doi:10.1186/s12885-022-09464-w · Cited by 22
Drug treatment of autism spectrum disorder and its comorbidities in children and adolescents
Santosh, P., & Singh, J. (2016) · BJPsych Advances · doi:10.1192/apt.bp.115.014597 · Cited by 21
“A comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating melatonin in the treatment of sleep disorders in ASD (Rossignol 2011) showed that it was well tolerated and might improve sleep parameters and daytime behaviours.”
Adams, J. B., Bhargava, A., Coleman, D. M., Frye, R. E., & Rossignol, D. A. (2021) · Journal of Personalized Medicine · doi:10.3390/jpm11090878 · Cited by 22
“For example, randomized clinical trials for ASD have demonstrated the efficacy of melatonin supplementation [9], folinic acid [24–26], vitamin/mineral supplements [27,28], comprehensive nutritional interventions [19], N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) [29], and sulforaphane [30].”
BackgroundSelf-citationGiannotta, G., Ruggiero, M., & Trabacca, A. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm13247737 · Cited by 22
Doxepin in children and adolescents with symptoms of insomnia: A single-center experience
Shah, Y., Stringel, V., Pavkovic, I., & Kothare, S. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM) · doi:10.5664/jcsm.8338 · Cited by 16
“significant improvement in sleep duration and sleep-onset latency but with none to minimal improvement in night-time awakenings.(35) Hence, in those ASD patients for whom first-line therapies have failed, low-dose doxepin may provide an effective and safe alternative (Figure 2).”
BackgroundStaben, J., Koch, M., Reid, K., Muckerheide, J., Gilman, L., McGuinness, F., Kiesser, S., Oswald, I. W. H., Koby, K. A., Martin, T. J., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1185737 · Cited by 23
“The rates of symptom improvement reported in these studies are consistent with traditional prescription medications used in ASD therapy (McCracken et al., 2002; Marcus et al., 2009; Nadeau et al., 2011; Rossignol and Frye, 2014; Sturman et al., 2017), highlighting the potential of a cannabis-based treatment approach a…”
ResultFrank, E., Benabou, M., Bentzley, B. S., Bianchi, M. T., Goldstein, T. R., Konopka, G., Maywood, E. S., Pritchett, D., Sheaves, B., & Thomas, J. (2014) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.12600 · Cited by 20
Approches thérapeutiques des troubles du sommeil et des rythmes chez l’enfant avec TSA
Schroder, C. M., Broquère, M., Claustrat, B., Delorme, R., Franco, P., Lecendreux, M., & Tordjman, S. (2022) · L Encéphale · doi:10.1016/j.encep.2021.08.005 · Cited by 18
Zisapel, N. (2022) · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1080/17512433.2022.2053520 · Cited by 19
“The main effect of immediate-release melatonin (IRM) in children with ASD is improvement in sleep-onset latency [17] compared with placebo and less so in total sleep time [18], whereas prolonged-”
BackgroundMelatonin Treatment for Pediatric Patients with Insomnia: Is There a Place for It?
Rolling, J., Rabot, J., & Schroder, C. M. (2022) · Nature and Science of Sleep · doi:10.2147/nss.s340944 · Cited by 23
“Insomnia being frequently related to circadian rhythm disorders, these have also been assessed in the ASD population.(78,79) Studies report that circadian rhythm disorders such as phase delay of sleep periods and irregular sleep–wake patterns are more frequent in children with ASD and tend to persist during adulthood.”
BackgroundTse, A. C. Y., Lee, P. H., Sit, C. H. P., Poon, E. T., Sun, F., Pang, C.-L., & Cheng, J. W. C. H. (2023) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-023-06172-7 · Cited by 23
Khan, A., de Jong, L. A. W., Kamenski, M. E., Higa, K. K., Lucero, J. D., Young, J. W., Behrens, M. M., & Powell, S. B. (2016) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.11.022 · Cited by 19
“, 2008), autism (Villagonzalo et al., 2010; Rossignol and Frye, 2011; Chauhan et al., 2012; Frustaci et al., 2012), and ADHD (Bulut et al.”
Géryk, J., Krsička, D., Vlčková, M., Havlovičová, M., Maçek, M., & Pourová, R. K. (2020) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo10050184 · Cited by 17
“Hyperserotonemia has been associated with the induction of ASD in animal models [30]; conversely, melatonin levels decrease, and its compensation has been clinically studied in ASD [31].”
BackgroundMcLay, L., Hansen, S. G., Carnett, A., France, K. G., & Blampied, N. M. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361320924216 · Cited by 19
“This classification was based on relevant research (e.g. McLay & France, 2016; Rossignol & Frye, 2011; Turner & Johnson, 2013).”
BackgroundMethodIs suvorexant a better choice than alternative hypnotics?
Kripke, D. F. (2015) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.6845.1 · Cited by 19
“Manufacturer-sponsored studies have reported several kinds of performance enhancement 24,25 , and there are some reported sleep and behavioral improvements among children with ADHD given ordinary melatonin 26 .”
Furster, C., & Hallerbäck, M. U. (2015) · European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00228-015-1866-3 · Cited by 19
Taylor, M. J., Larsson, H., Lundström, S., Lichtenstein, P., & Butwicka, A. (2021) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13473 · Cited by 17
The impact of melatonin on the sleep patterns of women undergoing IVF: a double blind RCT
Fernando, S., Biggs, S. N., Horne, R. S. C., Vollenhoven, B. J., Lolatgis, N., Hope, N., Wong, M. F., Lawrence, M. D., Lawrence, A. S., Russell, C., et al. (2018) · Human Reproduction Open · doi:10.1093/hropen/hox027 · Cited by 19
“In a meta-analysis of five studies involving 57 participants, Rossignol and colleagues (Rossignol and Frye, 2011) assessed the impact of melatonin (0.75 –15 mg nocte for 14 days to 4 years) on the treatment”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- ROSSIGNOL, D. A., & FRYE, R. E.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US)
- Corresponding author
- ROSSIGNOL, DANIEL A
- Venue
- Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-04-19
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 783-792
- ISSN
- 0012-1622 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8749
- OpenAlex
- W2045069726
- Cited by
- 468
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 13.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- melatonin, autism spectrum disorder, sleep disorders, sleep duration, sleep latency, nocturnal awakenings, melatonin metabolites, melatonin treatment
- MeSH terms
- Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Melatonin, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Databases, Factual
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