Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Latest Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Thyroid hormones may play important role in sleep regulation

While the thyroid has long been linked to metabolism, cutting-edge research underway at Rutgers University Camden is investigating the possibility that thyroid hormones have an important role in sleep regulation.

9 Aug 2007

Lack of sleep leads to increased urinary output and more salt in urine

Our body's production of urine follows a circadian rhythm. During the day, we experience greater urinary frequency; at night, urine production declines, enabling us to get uninterrupted sleep.

9 Aug 2007

Rotating shift workers have lower levels of serotonin

People who work rotating shifts have significantly lower levels of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter in the central nervous system believed to play an important role in the regulation of sleep, according to a study published in the August 1st issue of the journal SLEEP.

3 Aug 2007

Autonomous glial mechanism may drive circadian rhythms

Glial cells of the nervous system, once thought to function strictly as support cells for neurons, are now thought to actively modulate them.

2 Aug 2007

Sedative drugs help Huntington's disease sufferers

Mice carrying the genetic mutation that causes Huntington's Disease (HD) showed marked improvements in alertness and their ability to learn after they were given drugs that put them to sleep.

18 Jul 2007

Cicardian system suffers and protects from prenatal cocaine exposure

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that prenatal cocaine exposure in zebrafish (which share the majority of the same genes with humans) can alter neuronal development and acutely dysregulate the expression of circadian genes and those affecting melatonin signaling, growth and neurotransmission.

11 Jul 2007

Repeated sleep loss affects ability to compensate for lost sleep

We've all experienced that occasional all-too-short night of sleep -- staying out too late at a party on a weeknight, studying into the wee hours for a morning exam or being kept up during the night with a sick child.

4 Jul 2007

Circadian rhythms and genetics

New research from Colorado State University shows that the function of all genes in mammals is based on circadian -- or daily -- rhythms. The study, publishing in PLoS Computational Biology on June 15, refutes the current theory that only 10 percent to 15 percent of all genes were affected by nature's clock.

18 Jun 2007

RAS signaling of circadian output

In the June 15th issue of G&D, Drs. Jay Dunlap and Jennifer Loros, with colleagues at Dartmouth Medical School, have finally cloned the band gene, and have found that it is an allele of ras-1.

17 Jun 2007

Nurses who work the night shift more likely to have poor sleep habits

Nurses who work the night shift are more likely to have poor sleep habits, a practice that can increase the likelihood of committing serious errors that can put the safety of themselves as well as their patients at risk, according to research presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

14 Jun 2007

First comprehensive description of sleep and wake patterns of cancer patients using continuous polysomnography

Patients with advanced-stage cancer experience very poor sleep quality and often have troubling staying awake, says Emory University researcher Kathy Parker, PhD, RN.

14 Jun 2007

Examination of cancer-related fatigue

In a special publication sent to thousands of oncologists nationwide this month, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists offer an in-depth examination of cancer-related fatigue, with hope that a better understanding of the topic will prompt new research and treatment.

8 Jun 2007

New findings on jet lag

Circadian clocks regulate the timing of biological functions in almost all higher organisms.

24 May 2007

Circadian clock gene plays role in weight gain

Scientists at the University of Virginia and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered that a gene that participates in the regulation of the body's biological rhythms may also be a major control in regulating metabolism.

18 May 2007

Multitasking hardest late at night and early morning

Multitasking seems to come easier for some and is virtually impossible for others, however new research shows that it is difficult for all in the late night and early morning.

8 May 2007

Little-known cell networks vital to circadian rhythm

Circadian rhythm is the basic 24-hour cycle that involves various behaviors, including sleeping and eating, in all living organisms.

4 May 2007

After hours gene appears to interfere with normal regulation of the body clock on a cellular level

Wheel-running mice have helped scientists to identify an altered body clock gene that can make a normal day up to three hours longer.

27 Apr 2007

New findings on insomnia

Those persons who are labeled a 'night owl' report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Apr 2007

Night owls do it tougher than other insomniacs

According to a new study night owls, those who stay up late with insomnia and then sleep longer in the mornings, have more psychological symptoms than morning insomniacs and need different treatment, even though they get more sleep.

16 Apr 2007

A mild head injury can increase your chance of developing a sleep disorder

Researchers say these findings highlight the need for improved diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in mild traumatic brain injury patients who complain of insomnia.

4 Apr 2007