| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 1995: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
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| Research Abstract |
In previous studies, most total blind person maintain a roughly 24-hour sleep-wake schedule, even when their other rhythms (melatonin, temperature and so on) are free-running.
How many do total blind person complain sleep-wake schdule disorder. I conducted a sleep questionnaire survey of sight handicapped person who were entering the same institution. The subjects were 216,84 of whom were total blind person and 132 were not total blind person. There was not significant difference in rate of prevalent sleep-wake schedule disorders among the total blind and the not total blind. Sleep-wake schedule problem dose not typically bring totally blind person to a physician, because most total blind person have strong information time cues (social cues) and homeostatic mechanisms.
Vitamin B12 (VB12) in effective for delayd sleep phase syndrome and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome. I administered VB12 to a total blind patient suffering for many years from irregular sleep-wake pattern. Shortly thereafter, her irregular sleep-wake pattern has improved, her total sleep time has increased and her number of awaking has decreased. Her melatonin level in the serum showed low level (under 10pg/ml) during all day before administration of VB12.8 days after administration, her melatonin level has increased up to 20 pg/ml during the night. These results suggest that melatonin level may increased as the result of improvement in irregular pattern by VB12.
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