Project Summary

Jonathan Emens, M.D. (Young Investigator 2003) of Oregon Health and Sciences University, will test the hypothesis that patients with major depression suffer from a misalignment of their circadian (24 hour) rhythms similar to that previously demonstrated in individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and that correction of this misalignment can lead to symptom relief.  Dr. Emens proposes to measure the nightly onset of melatonin secretions in subjects with non-seasonal depression in order to determine whether their biological clock is abnormally “set”, and whether the degree of misalignment correlates with the severity of depression.  He will also administer oral melatonin to reset the biological clocks of these individuals in order to decrease depressive symptoms.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Seasonal Affective Disorder\Pharmacology

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