光照的警觉性作用

光照除了传统的视觉作用外, 还具有一定的非视觉效应, 包括调节昼夜节律、褪黑素分泌和警觉性等生理功能和行为表现。随着光照对生理节律影响研究的不断深入, 近来很多学者开始关注光照的警觉性作用。我们根据最新研究进展总结了：(1)警觉性的测量工具; (2)光照强度、时长、时间点、波长、色温等对光照警觉性作用的影响; (3)光照在治疗情绪障碍、调节生理节律、完善办公照明方面的应用; (4)提出了继续探讨光照警觉性作用的神经机制、优化参数特征和探讨混淆变量的研究方向。     

Melatonin and Sleep Qualities in Healthy Adults: Pharmacological and Expectancy Effects

The impact of expectancy on melatonin's effects on sleep qualities was investigated. Both the pharmacological dose of 6 mg of melatonin and the expectation of receiving melatonin were predicted to improve subjective ratings of sleep qualities. The balanced placebo design varied 2 factors within-subjects: actual treatment and expected treatment. Adults (N = 53; 21 men and 32 women) between the ages of 26 and 71 years were administered either 6 mg of melatonin or a placebo for 8 nights. An instructional manipulation directed participants' expectations. Participants rated their nightly sleep experiences. Results revealed that feelings upon awakening differed between genders and that expecting melatonin increased ratings of sleep continuity. Most important, high ratings of “grogginess/tiredness” were associated with receiving melatonin, regardless of expectancy, as well as with receiving placebo when melatonin was expected. Overall, the findings underscore the need to consider expectancy and gender differences in research on melatonin and sleep experiences.     

Behavioral Effects of Chronic Melatonin and Pregnenolone Injections in a Myelin Mutant Rat (taiep)

The taiep (tremor, ataxia, immobility, epilepsy, and paralysis) myelin mutant displays a number of locomotor deficits. Taiep rat gait is characterized by shorter stride and step lengths as well as by larger stride widths. Thirty-day-old taiep mutants were placed under a regimen of daily hormone injections for 60 days. Animals in Condition 1 received melatonin, those in Condition 2 received pregnenolone sulfate, and those in a third control condition received injections of saline. Following the injections, each taiep mutant's gait was analyzed. The animals that received melatonin and pregnenolone displayed significantly larger stride and step lengths than did the controls. In addition, the animals that received hormones displayed shorter stride widths than did the controls. These experimental effects are consistent with a normalization of gait. Possible cellular mechanisms of this behavioral effect are discussed.     

褪黑素受体MT1在骨肉瘤中的表达及临床意义

采用免疫组化法检测MT1在40例骨肉瘤及20例骨软骨瘤组织中的表达。结果显示MT1在骨肉瘤中的表达率（70％）明显高于骨软骨瘤（35％）（P〈0．05）。MT1的表达与骨肉瘤的Enneking分期、复发和转移相关（P〈0．05）,而与性别、年龄、肿瘤体积、Dahlin＇s组织学分型无关（P〉0．05）。因此,MT1可作...     

季节性情感障碍存在记忆损伤吗？

季节性情感障碍(Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD)与轻度到中度的临床抑郁有类似的症状,它通常发生于季节性日照不足的地区。造成该障碍的一个可能原因是褪黑素分泌不足。与非季节性抑郁相比, 季节性抑郁的记忆损伤尚未得到充分研究。以往的研究也发现了一些类似于非季节性抑郁的记忆损伤, 但通常很少达到统计的显著性, 且其采用的测验任务也缺乏分辨力, 未能对损伤进行足够的细节描述。这里对有关文献做一个综述。     

Remote treatment of sleep‐related trichotillomania and trichophagia

We used a biobehavioral treatment consisting of melatonin and a standardized bed and wake time to decrease one girl's head and mouth touches associated with sleep‐related trichotillomania and trichophagia. We remotely coached the girl's caregiver to implement all procedures and monitored response to treatment using a DropCam Pro video camera equipped with night‐vision capabilities. Head and mouth touches decreased, and her sleep pattern improved with the combination of treatment strategies. We discuss our use of a novel mode of service delivery to treat sleep‐related problem behavior.