Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Latest Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Researchers identify broad patterns of gene activity that correspond to aggression

With a mate and a nest to protect, the male threespined stickleback is a fierce fish, chasing and biting other males until they go away.

15 Nov 2012

BioLineRx intends to conduct interim analysis of BL-1020 Phase II/III trial for schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today that it intends to conduct an interim analysis of the Phase II/III CLARITY trial of BL-1020, a first in class, orally available, GABA-enhanced antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia.

25 Oct 2012

Insight into calcium pumps in cells

When animals and plants are exposed to influences such as bacterial attack, odour and cold, calcium ions flow into the cells. The calcium provides the cells with a signal about what is going on outside, but as high concentrations of calcium are toxic to the cells, it must be quickly pumped out again.

22 Oct 2012

Study compares gene expression levels in two key hippocampal regions affected by Alzheimer's

Researchers from the Computational Intelligence Group based at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's Facultad de Informática have used machine learning and data mining techniques to compare gene expresssion levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in two key regions of the hippocampus: the dentate gyrus, where the disease appears to have little or no effect, and the entorhinal cortex, where Alzheimer's disease produces major neuronal damage.

10 Oct 2012

Combination of two neuroprotective therapies shows promise against Alzheimer's

The combination of two neuroprotective therapies, voluntary physical exercise, and the daily intake of melatonin has been shown to have a synergistic effect against brain deterioration in rodents with three different mutations of Alzheimer's disease.

27 Sep 2012

A significant proportion of breast cancer survivors have chronic fatigue

UK study results show that over a third of breast cancer survivors have cancer-related fatigue syndrome and that these women have significantly lower subjective quality of life and mood than their nonfatigued peers.

6 Sep 2012

Molecular ‘timetable’ could aid personalized medicine

Researchers have developed a method, based on analysis of circadian rhythm metabolites in blood samples, which can pinpoint the time of the body’s internal “clock” to within 3 hours.

4 Sep 2012

Disruption of circadian rhythm can inhibit blood vessel growth in the body

Disruptions to the circadian rhythm can affect the growth of blood vessels in the body, thus causing illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer, according to a new study from Linköping University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

28 Aug 2012

New UCLA study pinpoints unique human patterns of gene activity in the brain

Human and chimp brains look anatomically similar because both evolved from the same ancestor millions of years ago. But where does the chimp brain end and the human brain begin? A new UCLA study pinpoints uniquely human patterns of gene activity in the brain that could shed light on how we evolved differently than our closest relative.

23 Aug 2012

Possible molecular link between circadian rhythm disturbances and increased inflammatory response

Scientists have known for some time that throwing off the body's circadian rhythm can negatively affect body chemistry. In fact, workers whose sleep-wake cycles are disrupted by night shifts are more susceptible to chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.

2 Aug 2012

TAU researcher reveals link between plant and human biology

Increasingly, scientists are uncovering surprising biological connections between humans and other forms of life. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has revealed that plant and human biology is much closer than has ever been understood - and the study of these similarities could uncover the biological basis of diseases like cancer as well as other "animal" behaviors.

31 Jul 2012

Heart attack and stroke risk increased with shift work

Shift work is associated with an increased risk of major vascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.

27 Jul 2012

Inserm researchers examine effect of night work on women’s health

Breast cancer is the number one cause of female mortality. It affects 100 out of 100,000 women per year in developed countries. Each year, more than 1.3 million new cases are diagnosed, 53,000 of these in France. The risk factors of breast cancer are varied. They include genetic mutations, late first pregnancy, low parity or hormone therapy, but other causes of breast cancer such as way of life, environmental or professional causes have not yet been completely identified.

20 Jun 2012

Scientists determine 3-D structure of two circadian rhythm proteins

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have determined the three-dimensional structure of two proteins that help keep the body's clocks in sync.

1 Jun 2012

Increased risk of breast cancer associated with working night shifts

Working night shifts more than twice a week is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, finds a long term study published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

29 May 2012

Study finds large amounts of melanopsin in the human brain

A new study by Oulu University found large amounts of a light-sensitive OPN4-protein, melanopsin, in the human brain.

22 May 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Cordoning off of lipids of the liver helps manage insulin resistance in the body

A Penn research team, led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, reports in Nature Medicine that mice in which an enzyme called histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) was deleted had massively fatty livers, but lower blood sugar, and were thus protected from glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, the hallmark of diabetes.

7 May 2012

Strong light can treat myocardial infarction

There are lots of ways to treat a heart attack - CPR, aspirin, clot-busters and more. Now CU medical school researchers have found a new candidate: Intense light.

26 Apr 2012

U-M project to examine link between bipolar disorder and abnormalities in the circadian

A math professor at the University of Michigan will lead an international, $1 million project examining the links between bipolar disorder and abnormalities in the circadian, or daily, rhythms of a mammal's internal clock.

25 Apr 2012