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Review
. 2025 Jan 30;25(3):525-533.
doi: 10.17305/bb.2024.11182.

Research progress on melatonin, 5-HT, and orexin in sleep disorders of children with autism spectrum disorder

Wenjun Ding  1 , Yiran Xu  1 , Wencong Ding  2 , Qiongyan Tang  3 , Bohao Zhang  1 , Yangyang Yuan  1 , Jian Jin  1
Affiliations
Review

Research progress on melatonin, 5-HT, and orexin in sleep disorders of children with autism spectrum disorder

Wenjun Ding et al. Biomol Biomed. .

Abstract

Sleep disorders are among the common comorbidities of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which not only affect the daily life and learning ability of children but may also exacerbate other symptoms of ASD, seriously impacting the quality of life of children and their families. Given this, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of sleep disorders in children with ASD has significant research value for developing effective intervention strategies. Melatonin, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and orexin are key neurotransmitters that regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Through in-depth analysis of the biological functions and regulatory pathways of these neurotransmitters, new perspectives may be provided for personalized treatment of sleep disorders in children with ASD. This article reviews the research progress on melatonin, 5-HT, and orexin in sleep disorders among children with ASD, focusing on exploring the mechanisms of these key neurotransmitters in sleep disorders of children with ASD and how they affect the sleep-wake cycle, providing a theoretical basis for improving the sleep quality of children with ASD.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Signal transmission in the hippocampus under different sleep states. PKA: Protein kinase A; cAMP: Cyclic adenosine monophosphate; GABA: Gamma-aminobutyric acid.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Regulation of neurotransmitters related to sleep. 5-HT: 5-hydroxytryptamine.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Melatonin synthesis in mammals. AANAT: Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase; SNAT: Serotonin N-acetyltransferase; HIOMT: Hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase; 5-HT: 5-hydroxytryptamine; ASMT: N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine-O-methyltransferase.
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