Questions tagged [melatonin]

Hormone responsible for controlling the circadian rhythym.

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Would constant light or fading light be registered as more wakefulness promoting by the Supra Chiasmatic Nucleus?

During the fall and winter season, a number of people are experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. One of the way it has traditionally been treated is with a dedicated lightbox - a very high ...
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Why do you need you room dark for melatonin release?

There is a light pollution movement that says lighting at night obstructs melatonin production. They say: What makes you fall asleep are changes in the level of the hormone melatonin circulating ...
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What is blue light?

What is the "blue light" often discussed in relation to human melatonin production, sleep/wake cycles, etc.? A Google search seems to define it as light of a particular wavelength, suggesting that it ...
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Does sleep duration vary for animals based on time of the year?

I'm interested in the sleep patterns of wild animals, that still use sun for controlling their biological clock. Animals entrain their biological clock to the day/night cycle using light as the ...
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Melatonin production - requires nighttime, or just full darkness?

Is melatonin properly produced in daytime sleep in full darkness? Or does it require only nighttime sleep? Additionally, what other biological implications are there, if any, to daytime sleeping? ...
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What is the mechanism by which Melatonin increases dream vividness and intensity in humans?

I'm looking at the wikipedia article on Melatonin and noticed that it mentions vivid dreaming caused by melatonin. I have the "Melatonin and the Biological clock" pamphlet referenced in the article, ...
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What is the purpose of Prostaglandin F2-alpha and the Prostaglandin F receptor in the melatonin cell signaling pathway?

I've been doing a lot of research recently on the melatonin cell signaling pathway for an extra credit project at school. I've included an image in this post, which is a diagram of the MT1 pathway. It ...
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2 votes
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Does the effect of light on melatonin release adapts to light level over long periods of time?

Or do you go to bed with low levels of melatonin when you stay behind a computer screen all day?
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Role of Melatonin in Circadian Rhythm

Melatonin regulates the wake-sleep cycle by causing drowsiness and lowering body temperature, but which specific chemical pathways lead to this drowsiness?
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What mechanism suppresses melatonin release in humans?

I'm looking at melanopsin, a photo pigment in the human eye. One of its actions is to trigger suprachiasmatic nuclei SCN to suppress melatonin release. I'm interested in learning what is the exact ...
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How is melatonin production related to proteins produced by clock genes?

I am a high school student learning about feedback mechanisms. My teacher gave an example of how proteins produced by clock genes are related to melatonin production. However, I'm confused about the ...
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Origin of melatonin: oxidative stress defense OR circadian rhythm?

Question Which functional role of melatonin came first? Regulation of the circadian rhythm Defense against oxidative stress Other Background I was well aware of the important role melatonin plays ...
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Does iris color effect the amount of light that reaches photosensitive ganglion cells?

Does eye color (of iris) have any effect on the amount of light reaching retina cells and hence effect melatonin production?
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Does melatonin change the appearance of humans?

Melatonin (not to be confused with melanin) was sold as a wonder drug during the 90s. I remember images of mice, which supposedly got a more beautiful fur. I would like to know whether the effect is ...
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