Serum Melatonin at Admission and Discharge in Schizophrenia: A Prospective Longitudinal Controlled Study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Schizophrenia is associated with circadian and neuroendocrine disturbances, but whether circulating melatonin changes with acute clinical state remains uncertain. This prospective longitudinal controlled study measured serum melatonin at 12:00 and 00:00 in 43 hospitalized patients after admission and before discharge, and during one session in 42 healthy controls. Psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Nonparametric comparisons used family-specific Holm adjustment; exploratory correlations used false-discovery-rate control. In comparisons without covariate adjustment, midday concentrations were higher in patients at admission and discharge (Holm p = 0.013 and 0.007), but the differences did not remain significant after Holm correction in exploratory models adjusted for BMI, age, and sex (29 patients and 40 controls). Median within-patient changes were −0.14 pg/mL at 12:00 (95% CI −0.27 to 0.74) and 0.00 pg./mL at 00:00 (95% CI −2.00 to 6.35); both Holm p = 1.000. Total PANSS decreased by a median of 14 points among 24 complete pairs. No change-PANSS correlation survived multiplicity correction. Two daily samples demonstrate a midday–midnight concentration difference but cannot characterize circadian phase, amplitude, or total secretion. No short-term melatonin change was detected during hospitalization; this does not establish equivalence or confirm or exclude trait-biomarker status. State-marker utility remains uncertain, and patient–control differences may reflect medication, smoking, or confounding by assay plate.
Source: Biomolecules
DOI: 10.3390/biom16101438
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W7215713011