Neural Correlates of Sleep Recovery following Melatonin Treatment for Pediatric Concussion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Evidence-based treatments for children with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) are few and limited. Common PPCS complaints such as sleep disturbance and fatigue could be ameliorated via the supplementation of melatonin, which has significant neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to identify neural correlates of melatonin treatment with changes in sleep disturbances and clinical recovery in a pediatric cohort with PPCS. We examined structural and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) in 62 children with PPCS in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 3 mg or 10 mg of melatonin (NCT01874847). The primary outcome was the total youth self-report Post-..