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Melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with pituitary tumors
Affiliations- Department of Social Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
- Department of Endocrinology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
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Abstract
The optic tract section at the optic chiasm is expected to disturb the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) rhythm, circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion rhythms in humans, although detailed studies have never been conducted. The aim of this paper was to describe melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with a pituitary tumor exerting optic chiasm compression. Six patients with pituitary tumors of different size, four of whom had significant optic chiasm compression, were examined. In each brain, MRI, an ophthalmological examination including the vision field and laboratory tests were performed. Melatonin and cortisol concentrations were measured at 22:00h, 02:00h, 06:00h, and 10:00h in patients lying in a dark, isolated room.
One of the four cases with significant optic chiasm compression presented a flattened melatonin rhythm. The melatonin rhythm was also disturbed in one patient without optic chiasm compression. Larger tumors may play a role in the destruction of neurons connecting the retina with the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and breaking of basic way for inhibiting effect to the SCN from the retina.
Abstract
The optic tract section at the optic chiasm is expected to disturb the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) rhythm, circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion rhythms in humans, although detailed studies have never been conducted. The aim of this paper was to describe melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with a pituitary tumor exerting optic chiasm compression. Six patients with pituitary tumors of different size, four of whom had significant optic chiasm compression, were examined. In each brain, MRI, an ophthalmological examination including the vision field and laboratory tests were performed. Melatonin and cortisol concentrations were measured at 22:00h, 02:00h, 06:00h, and 10:00h in patients lying in a dark, isolated room.
One of the four cases with significant optic chiasm compression presented a flattened melatonin rhythm. The melatonin rhythm was also disturbed in one patient without optic chiasm compression. Larger tumors may play a role in the destruction of neurons connecting the retina with the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and breaking of basic way for inhibiting effect to the SCN from the retina.
Keywords
Melatonin, Cortisol, Pituitary tumors, Biological rhythm
About this articleTitle
Melatonin and cortisol profiles in patients with pituitary tumors
Journal
Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska
Issue
Pages
65-69
Page views
403
Article views/downloads
1286
DOI
10.1016/j.pjnns.2014.12.004
Bibliographic record
Neurol Neurochir Pol 2015;49(1):65-69.
Keywords
Melatonin
Cortisol
Pituitary tumors
Biological rhythm
Authors
Daniel Zielonka
Jerzy Sowiński
Stanisław Nowak
Anna Ciesielska
Jakub Moskal
Jerzy T. Marcinkowski
