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Publication
Circadian rhythms have broad implications for understanding brain and behavior
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Abstract(s)
Circadian rhythms are generated by an endogenously organized timing system that drives daily rhythms in behavior, physiology
and metabolism. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is the locus of a master circadian clock.
The SCN is synchronized to environmental changes in the light:dark cycle by direct, monosynaptic innervation via the retino-hypothalamic
tract. In turn, the SCN coordinates the rhythmic activities of innumerable subordinate clocks in virtually all bodily tissues
and organs. The core molecular clockwork is composed of a transcriptional/post-translational feedback loop in which clock genes
and their protein products periodically suppress their own transcription. This primary loop connects to downstream output genes
by additional, interlocked transcriptional feedback loops to create tissue-specific ‘circadian transcriptomes’. Signals from peripheral
tissues inform the SCN of the internal state of the organism and the brain’s master clock is modified accordingly. A consequence
of this hierarchical, multilevel feedback system is that there are ubiquitous effects of circadian timing on genetic and metabolic
responses throughout the body. This overview examines landmark studies in the history of the study of circadian timing system,
and highlights our current understanding of the operation of circadian clocks with a focus on topics of interest to the neuroscience
community.
Description
Keywords
Chronopharmacology Endocrine Feeding Mental health Obesity Sleep
Citation
European Journal of Neuroscience, 39, 1866-1880
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons