Melatonin in human cerebrospinal fluid in daytime; Its origin and variation with age

Melatonin was measured in human daytime CSF samples originating in the lumbar sac and basal cisterns. No gradient was found for melatonin, although significantly more 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was found in the cisternal samples. This suggests that, in the daytime, melatonin is not released directly from the pineal into the third ventricle, as that would produce a CSF gradient. Presumably daytime CSF melatonin is derived from blood and the original sources may include the retina, intestine and pineal.Daytime human CSF melatonin showed a significant negative correlation with age over the age range 8 to 70 years.