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The evaluation of melatonin as a possible antidepressive

Melatonin, a hormone of the pineal gland, was evaluated in a variety of animal models of depression. Measurements of the frog righting reflex and rat locomotor activity showed that low doses of melatonin have a serotonin-like potentiating effect following monoamine oxidase inhibition. High doses of melatonin caused a reduction in the duration of rat immobility in the Porsolt model of depression and exerted a chlorpromazine-like effect on conditioned avoidance behaviour. In view of the indoleamine hypothesis of depressive disorders, the possibility of melatonin being a potential antidepressive is discussed and it is concluded that melatonin might be useful in the treatment of "agitated" depressions

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:3728
Date January 1980
CreatorsSkene, Debra Jean
PublisherRhodes University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Masters, MSc
Format349 leaves, pdf
RightsSkene, Debra Jean

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