Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Latest Circadian Rhythm News and Research

New study aims to find the genetic causes of substance addiction

A new study aims to find the genetic causes specific symptoms of substance addiction, which could lead to a more nuanced way of looking at substance abuse, and ways to treat it.

5 Jun 2015

Discovery of molecular reset button for internal body clock could help treat different disorders

An international team of scientists has discovered what amounts to a molecular reset button for our internal body clock. Their findings reveal a potential target to treat a range of disorders, from sleep disturbances to other behavioral, cognitive, and metabolic abnormalities, commonly associated with jet lag, shift work and exposure to light at night, as well as with neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and autism.

28 Apr 2015

New Johns Hopkins mobile app educates care providers on improving sleep, overall health of patients

Experts from the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep hope to help patients get a better night’s sleep by providing health care staff members with a basic educational tool on their smartphones.

31 Mar 2015

UConn Health cancer epidemiologist reveals effect of artificial light on health

Modern life, with its preponderance of inadequate exposure to natural light during the day and overexposure to artificial light at night, is not conducive to the body's natural sleep/wake cycle.

23 Mar 2015

RUB biochemists gain new insights into generation, maintenance of circadian rhythms

Biochemists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have gained new insights into the generation and maintenance of circadian rhythms. They demonstrated that the Ras protein is important for setting the phase of such a circadian clock, as its activity determines the period length of the rhythm.

19 Mar 2015

When you eat is just as important as what you eat

If you're looking to improve your heart health by changing your diet, when you eat may be just as important as what you eat.

13 Mar 2015

Naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall asleep

If you walk into your local drug store and ask for a supplement to help you sleep, you might be directed to a bottle labeled "melatonin." The hormone supplement's use as a sleep aid is supported by anecdotal evidence and even some reputable research studies.

9 Mar 2015

Researchers warn doctors, parents not to give melatonin drug to control sleep problems in children

Sleep researchers at the University of Adelaide are warning doctors and parents not to provide the drug melatonin to children to help control their sleep problems.

26 Feb 2015

Vanderbilt researchers find link between the biological clock and Angelman syndrome

Monitoring participants' biological clocks may be the quickest way to determine the effectiveness of experimental drugs currently under development to treat Angelman syndrome: a debilitating genetic disorder that occurs in more than one in every 15,000 live births.

6 Feb 2015

Intriguing small molecule directs activity of key ‘clock proteins’

In research published in Nature Communications, Thomas Burris, Ph.D., chair of pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University, reports intriguing findings about a small molecule that directs the activity of key "clock proteins," offering the potential to manage circadian rhythm and treat problems that are associated with its dysfunction, like sleep and anxiety disorders.

24 Dec 2014

Alcohol consumption interferes with sleep homeostasis

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that drinking alcohol to fall asleep interferes with sleep homeostasis, the body's sleep-regulating mechanism.

11 Dec 2014

Protein that regulates the body's sleep cycle may offer cancer protection

People who work around the clock could actually be setting themselves back, according to Virginia Tech biologists.

4 Dec 2014

Researchers take major step in fight against sleeping sickness

Researchers from Aarhus University have taken an important step in the fight against sleeping sickness, a disease that is a major problem in parts of Africa. According to the World Health Organization, the disease threatens approximately 60 million people and the treatment options are poor.

24 Nov 2014

Nonlinear correlation between axitinib dose, dBP increase

A pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic model shows that diastolic blood pressure rises with increasing doses of axitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, US researchers report, although this relationship is not linear.

18 Nov 2014

SCN clock isn't necessary to align body rhythms with light-dark cycle, study reveals

Circadian clocks regulate functions ranging from alertness and reaction time to body temperature and blood pressure. New research published in the November 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal further adds to our understanding of the circadian rhythm by suggesting that the suprachiasmaticus nucleus (SCN) clock, a tiny region of the hypothalamus considered to be the body's "master" timekeeper, is not necessary to align body rhythms with the light-dark cycle.

31 Oct 2014

Vanda reports total revenues of $14.8 million for third quarter 2014

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., today announced financial and operational results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014.

27 Oct 2014

Disruption of circadian rhythm linked to breast cancer, shows study

The disruption of a person's circadian rhythm—their 24-hour biological clock—has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to new University of Georgia research. The culprit, in this study in particular, is artificial light.

20 Oct 2014

New study exposes negative consequences of sleep deprivation among teens

While American paediatricians warn sleep deprivation can stack the deck against teenagers, a new study from Taylor & Francis reveals youth's irritability and laziness aren't down to attitude problems but lack of sleep.

29 Sep 2014

Space missions affect sleep patterns in astronauts

The most comprehensive study of sleep patterns during spaceflight has just been published and confirms that astronauts suffer considerable sleep deficiency during both pre-mission training and spaceflight.

10 Aug 2014

Altering the circadian rhythm: an interview with Dr. Doug Kojetin, The Scripps Research Institute

The circadian rhythm is affected by many different stimuli—such as sleep and light, which are the most broadly appreciated ways—but also eating— all of which can modulate, or change, important processes in our bodies such as temperature, production of hormones or other signalling small molecules, cellular regeneration, and others.

6 Aug 2014