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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 12:432-436, August 2004
© 2004 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

Brief Report

Cognitive Effects of Exogenous Melatonin Administration in Elderly Persons

A Pilot Study

Joel S. Peck, M.D., Daniel B. LeGoff, Ph.D., Iqbal Ahmed, M.D., and Deborah Goebert, Dr.P.H.

Received July 10, 2002; revised October 29, 2002, February 25, 2003; accepted March 20, 2003. From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii. Send correspondence to Dr. Iqbal Ahmed, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 1356 Lusitania Street, 4th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. e-mail: ahmedi{at}dop.hawaii.edu
© 2004 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

Objective: Given that circadian rhythm disruption is associated with impairments in cognitive performance similar to those found in age-related cognitive decline, the authors investigated whether exogenous melatonin administration would improve cognitive functioning in healthy elderly subjects. Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study assigned 26 healthy elderly subjects to receive either melatonin 1 mg or placebo nightly for 4 weeks. Participants completed a sleep questionnaire and a battery of cognitive tests at baseline and at 4 weeks. Results: Melatonin administration improved reported morning "restedness" and sleep latency after nocturnal awakening, and also improved scores on the California Verbal Learning Test–interference subtest. Conclusions: Melatonin administration at a dose of 1 mg nightly may be effective in improving certain aspects of cognitive functioning and subjective reports of sleep quality in elderly subjects. It may prove to be a useful therapeutic agent in the treatment of age-related cognitive decline.

Key Words: Sleep Disorders • Melatonin






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