Circadian Rhythms of Melatonin and Its Relationship with Anhedonia in Patients with Mood Disorders: a Cross-sectional Study

Background: Mood disorders are strongly associated with melatonin disturbances. However, it is unclear whether there is a difference in melatonin concentrations and melatonin circadian rhythm profiles between depression and bipolar disorder. In addition, the relationship between anhedonia, a common symptom of affective disorders, and its melatonin circadian rhythm remains under-investigated.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with depression disorder, 20 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and 21 healthy controls participated in this study. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) was performed to assess anhedonia. Saliva samples were collected from all subjects at fixed time points (a total of 14 points) in two consecutive days for measuring the melatonin concentrations to fit circadian rhythms of subjects. Melatonin circadian rhythms were compared between the three groups using ANOVA. Partial correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to explore the correlation between melatonin rhythm variables and anhedonia.

Results: We found that the peak phase of melatonin in the depression group was significantly advanced compared to the control group (P < 0.001) and the bipolar disorder group (P = 0.004). The peak phase of melatonin and RPAS showed a negative correlation (P = 0.003) in depression patients, which was also demonstrated in the multiple linear regression model (B=-2.47, P = 0.006).

Conclusions: These results suggest that circadian rhythms of melatonin are differentiated in depression and bipolar disorder and correlate with anhedonia in depression. Future research needs to explore the neurobiological mechanisms linking anhedonia and melatonin circadian rhythms in depressed patients.