MELATONIN, CORTISOL AND BODY-TEMPERATURE RHYTHMS IN LENNOX-GASTAUT PATIENTS WITH OR WITHOUT CIRCADIAN-RHYTHM SLEEP DISORDERS

The daily rhythms of melatonin, cortisol and body temperature were stu died in 16 institutionalized subjects with the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome . The results of 9 subjects with normal daily rhythms of sleep and wak efulness (group 1) were compared with those of 7 subjects with disorde red sleep (group 2). Salivary samples were collected and axillary temp erature was measured every 2 h during two or three separate 26-h perio ds. The hormones were measured by radioimmunoassays. The rhythms were characterized with single cosinor analysis. Two subjects in group 1 an d six subjects in group 2 had abnormalities in their rhythms of temper ature, cortisol or melatonin. All three rhythms were disrupted in two subjects of group 2. These two subjects were the only ones with disrup ted cortisol rhythm. The diversity of rhythm pathologies suggested par tly separate regulatory mechanisms for each rhythm. The co-occurrence of circadian rhythm sleep disorders with the deteriorated melatonin rh ythm raised the question as to whether the sleep disorders of these su bjects, like those of subjects with healthy brains, could be relieved by the induction of normal melatonin rhythm.