Articles
Circadian Rhythms and Mood Disorders Genetically Linked
A research team at the University of Glasgow has now identified a potential genetic link between disrupted circadian rhythms and mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and neuroticism. The genome-wide association study (GWAS), involving data...
How Does the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) Control Circadian Rhythm?
The SCN is located in the anterior region of the hypothalamus, and contains roughly 20,000 neurons. The SCN can be divided into two main sections depending on the neuropeptide expression. The ‘Core’ of the SCN is mainly comprised of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)...
Circadian Rhythm Disruption Linked to OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is more common in people living in areas of high latitude, likely because of the effect of decreased sunlight on circadian rhythms, new research suggests. Investigators reviewed studies from more than 200 countries and...
Study Shows Circadian System Misalignment Impacts Insulin
The endogenous circadian system, behavioral cycle, and circadian misalignment have distinct effects on insulin sensitivity and β-cell function, according to a study published online June 4 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. The researchers found that...
Research Shows Night Shifts Throw Brain Out of Sync
The Guardian reports that researchers have found working night shifts can impair the body’s natural rhythms so significantly that the brain and digestive system end up completely out of sync with each other. Scientists revealed that working three night shifts in a row...
New Study Links Circadian Rhythms and Alzheimer’s
A Finnish study published in the respected SLEEP journal shows that a variation in the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene is linked to the risk of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. The same research team has previously demonstrated that the same genetic variation...
Dr Aaarti Jagannath Presents on the BBC
In a BBC series celebrating the life-changing work of the health service, 70 years after its creation, Dr Aarti Jagannath meets the neurosurgeons at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford whose revolutionary surgery can offer hope to some patients battling the...
Research Update on Links Between Parkinson’s and Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Mutations in two specific genes affect how nerve cells work in the brain, disrupting sleep patterns in Parkinson’s patients, a new study suggests, and recommends a way of possibly treating this disease symptom. The research, “ER Lipid Defects in Neuropeptidergic...
Circadian Rhythms Influence Atherosclerosis
Professor Oliver Söhnlein, who researched molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis at the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, has shown the influence of circadian rhythms on atherosclerosis; a vascular disease that ultimately can lead to heart attacks and...
Professor Russell Foster Explains the Effect of Sleepiness on the Brain
Insufficient sleep is associated with an increased risk of numerous disorders and conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dementia, depression, and schizophrenia. Data published last year by psychiatrist Dan Freeman was able to show that...