Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a debilitative illness that severely impacts quality and duration of life, with neurologists and psychologists seeking remedies to this disease. Currently, past studies have found that metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) and melatonin have been implicated in depressive pathways; however, there is a lack of studies investigating the relationship between mGluR5 and melatonin in MDD pathogenesis. Thus, the objective of this study was to observe fluctuations in mGluR5 and melatonin levels in MDD pathogenesis. 67 patients were recruited for this study, after being screened to identify whether they meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Actigraphy monitors were used to identify the baseline circadian rhythms of the patients, with the patients entering the lab for a three night stay. During these three nights, PET scans, and melatonin extractions were performed. Melatonin levels exhibited fluctuations throughout the the three nights, with the levels primarily decreasing during the sleep deprivation period. However, the majority of participants did not exhibit significant differences between one another in melatonin level phase shifts. Additionally, mGluR5 levels were not significantly different among MDD participants, when compared to their control counterparts. Due to the non-significant differences between MDD and control groups for both factors, there was no significant liink observed between mGluR5 and melatonin levels in MDD vs control participants. Thus, results suggest that there is another underlying factor impacting MDD. Future applications include studying alternative pathways of MDD pathogenesis.

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