MedWire (10/15, Davenport) reports that “patients with bipolar I disorder have melatonin super-sensitivity to light compared with healthy individuals, which may serve as an endophenotypic marker for the condition,” according to a study published online Sept. 23 in the journal Acta Neuropsychiatrica. Investigators from Australia’s University of Melbourne “studied seven patients with bipolar I disorder and 34 healthy controls.” The researchers found that “during zero light conditions, there were no significant differences in the changes in melatonin levels between patients and controls,” but “during exposure to 200, 500, and 1000 lux, patients showed significantly more sensitivity to light than controls, with the sensitivity consistently elevated across the light–response curve.”
Small study suggests patients with bipolar I disorder may have melatonin super-sensitivity to light.
October 15, 2009 by abrandemihl
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