Melatonin May Play Role in Seizures

NEW YORK--Researchers from Columbia University here found that low melatonin levels may lead to seizures in epileptics, according to a study in the Dec. 12 Neurology (55, 11: 1746-8). The study's authors, led by Carl Bazil, M.D., Ph.D., found that melatonin levels were low in patients with epilepsy compared to controls, although the hormone increased three-fold following seizures. The researchers concluded that further research should be conducted on melatonin supplementation and epileptics.

However, in a study published in the October Epileptic Disorders (2, 4:203-8), researchers in Sweden found that found that epileptic patients experienced seizures at night when plasma melatonin levels were several times higher than those during the day. The authors agreed that even though melatonin can exert a depressive effect on brain and has been show to have an anti-convulsive influence in animals and humans, melatonin might also induce convulsions. For additional information about either study, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and conduct a keyword search using "PubMed."