An exploratory study on the association between serotonin and sleep breathing disorders

This exploratory observational study aimed to evaluate whether the blood levels of serotonin and enzymes involved in serotonin synthesis are associated with sleep breathing parameters. A total of 105 patients were included in this study, who were subjected to single-night polysomnography with simultaneous audio-video recordings. Peripheral blood samples were collected to estimate the serum levels of serotonin, tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), and aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). Results showed a negative correlation between blood serotonin levels, and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) (p=0.027), central apnea (p=0.044) and obstructive apnea (OA) (p=0.032) scores. Blood TPH1 levels were negatively correlated with average (p=0.003) and minimal saturation (p=0.035) and positively correlated with apnea-hypopnea index (p=0.010), OA (p=0.049), and hypopnea index (p=0.007) scores. A tendency to sleep-disordered breathing seemed to co-occur with lower blood serotonin and higher TPH1 levels.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the association between blood levels of serotonin and enzymes involved in serotonin synthesis, and sleep breathing parameters. The results showed a negative correlation between blood serotonin levels and oxygen desaturation index, central apnea, and obstructive apnea scores. Blood TPH1 levels were found to be negatively correlated with saturation levels and positively correlated with apnea-hypopnea index, obstructive apnea, and hypopnea index scores. These findings suggest a potential link between lower blood serotonin and higher TPH1 levels with sleep-disordered breathing.