CIRCADIAN-RHYTHM ABNORMALITIES IN ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY AND METHYL B-12 TREATMENT

A 13-year-old male with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) developed a sleep-w ake disorder after complete vision loss. He had a 25-h sleep-wake cycl e, After methyl B-12 therapy, circadian rhythms in his plasma melatoni n and beta-endorphin levels approximated those of healthy volunteers, and his peak cortisol time shifted backward. Daily deep body temperatu re (DBT) amplitude was smaller than in healthy males before and after the treatment, and his acrophase did not change. However, his sleep-wa ke rhythm became normal. Methyl B-12 is considered useful for treating circadian rhythm disturbances in patients having central nervous syst em disorders and blindness.