Melatonin

There is growing interest in the field of melatonin research regarding its neurobiological mechanisms as well as its repercussions in clinical practice. Melatonin: Therapeutic Value and Neuroprotection explores melatonin’s neuroprotective effects and discusses the therapeutic potential of melatonin and melatonin agonists in treating neurodegenerative diseases and other ailments. Topics include:

• The basic aspects of melatonin’s physiology, including its production, bioavailability, and metabolism





• The functional importance of melatonin receptors and their role in mediating the therapeutic effectiveness of melatonin in cancer





• Melatonin’s effect on the regulation of blood pressure, sleep, and circadian rhythms





• The cardioprotective role of melatonin





• The neuroprotective role in glaucoma, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and neurodegenerative diseases





• Use as a therapeutic agent for treating epilepsy and degenerative discs





• Treatment for obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other metabolic disorders





• Protective role in peri-natal hypoxic-ischemia

The contributors also examine the discovery of a number of melatonergic agonists, their potential role as antioxidants, and their therapeutic applications in treating glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, primary insomnia, and psychiatric disorders. Opening new vistas in our understanding of etiology, pharmacotherapy, and treatment, the book is a significant milestone in our knowledge about advances in melatonin’s physiology and its therapeutic application in a number of disorders.

Professor Venkataramanujam Srinivasan, PhD, MAMS, started his professional career as an assistant professor at the Institute of Physiology, Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, where he served for 24 years. Along with teaching physiology to undergraduate medical students, he undertook various collaborative research studies with the Department of Psychiatry and published a number of papers on lithium, catecholamine metabolism, the pineal gland, and melatonin both in national and international medical and life sciences journals. He has also served as one of the advisory council members for the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE) for ten years. Professor Srinivasan then undertook teaching assignments as associate professor of physiology at the University Sains Malaysia (USM). He has collaborated on research publications with a number of professors and research scientists working in different universities internationally. Since May 2009, he has undertaken research studies on melatonin and melatonergic drugs from Sri Sathya Sai Medical Educational and Research Foundation, an international medical sciences research study center in Kovai Thirunagar, Tamil Nadu, India and has published number of papers in indexed medical journals. He also edited a book on melatonin and melatonergic drugs in clinical practice, published by Springer in February 2014.

Dr. Gabriella Gobbi is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, McGill University and a staff psychiatrist at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC), Montreal, Canada. Her research interests include understanding the pathophysiology of major depression and related disorders and discovering new treatments for them. In particular, her laboratory conducts research on the short- and long-term effects of cannabis use in mood and anxiety and the potential beneficial effects of drugs acting on the endocannabinoid system (endogenous cannabis) to cure mental dise