ON PINEAL CALCIFICATION AND ITS RELATION TO SUBJECTIVE SLEEP PERCEPTION - A HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN PILOT-STUDY

We classified the degree of pineal calcification (DOC) into seven grou ps using cranial Computer Tomography (cCT) and then correlated pineal DOC to chronic subjective sleep-related disturbances as measured by a sleep questionnaire in 36 patients. Analysed by logistic regression mo dels, age and sex were not, but higher pineal DOC was significantly as sociated with the presence of daytime tiredness (OR = 4.15, 95% CI: 1. 63, 10.54) and sleep disturbance (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.74). This study provides initial confirmation of the hypothesis that the increa sing degree of pineal calcification (DOC) might indicate a decrease of melatonin production, which consecutively might lead to a disturbed c ircadian rhythmicity in the sleep-wake cycle, with the principal sympt om being daytime tiredness. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.