AUTHOR=Dell'Isola Giovanni Battista , Tascini Giorgia , Vinti Valerio , Tulli Eleonora , Dini Gianluca , Mencaroni Elisabetta , Ferrara Pietro , Di Cara Giuseppe , Striano Pasquale , Verrotti Alberto 

TITLE=Effect of melatonin on sleep quality and EEG features in childhood epilepsy: a possible non-conventional treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1243917

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1243917

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Background: Sleep and epilepsy are characterized by a bidirectional relationship. Indeed, epilepsy predisposes to the development of sleep disorders, while sleep deprivation may exacerbates epilepsy. In addition, antiseizure medication can disrupt normal sleep architecture. Therefore, an adequate sleep hygiene could lead to improvement in seizure control. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of melatonin on seizure frequency, EEG tracing, and sleep in children with focal idiopathic epilepsy. 

Methods: This observation study evaluated the effect of 4mg oral melatonin in ameliorating sleepwake cycle, seizure frequency and EEG features in children with focal idiopatic epilepsy of infancy. Twenty children were enrolled from September 2020 to August 2021. The study consisted of serial controls at enrollment (t0), at 3 months (t1) and at 6 months (t2) including neurological examination, questionnaire about sleep disturbances (CSHQ), and EEG.

Results: A significant improvement in sleep quality and daytime sleepiness was observed after melatonin supplementation. Furthermore, we observed a noteworthy improvement in EEG tracing at t2 that exhibited a significant correlation with improvements in CSHQ scores.

Conclusion: The studies conducted so far to evaluate the effect of melatonin in persons with epilepsy do not lead to definitive conclusions. Despite the small population sample and the study design, we report sleep and EEG improvement after melatonin administration in our court. Larger studies are needed to further study the neuroprotective and anticonvulsant properties of melatonin.