Circadian Rhythms and More

            As students we’re all familiar with the negative effects a disrupted circadian clock can have on our bodies. Just one night of studying and getting little sleep can make us cranky, clumsy, less sharp, and more likely to get a headache. To us, it might not seem like that big of a deal. While we think, “I’ll get a good night’s sleep tomorrow and everything will be fine,” our bodies are screaming in disagreement. It will come as no surprise then that disruptions to circadian rhythms over even longer periods of time can have serious negative effects on our bodies.  As is commonly known, circadian clocks in our bodies control sleeping patterns through the use of light and darkness, but they regulate much more than that. Studies have found a distinct connection between circadian rhythms and metabolic functions, gene expression, temperature regulation, locomotor activity, hormone activity, and stress response.

            Research described in Regulation of Feeding and Metabolism by Neuronal and Peripheral Clocks in Drosophila  as well as Dr. Austin Dreyer’s talk on “Circadian Regulation of Drosophila Feeding Behavior,” provides detailed information for understanding the explicit relationships between circadian clocks and rhythms of feeding, energy metabolism, total food consumption, and the importance in regulation of expression in metabolic genes in Drosophila.  For example, flies with impaired clocks in metabolic tissues showed a significant increase in food consumption, particularly during the night. Another significant finding seems to indicate just how interconnected circadian clocks are through different bodily tissues. Flies with defective neuronal clocks displayed a different phenotype compared to flies with defective fat body clocks. This demonstrates the complexity we have yet to fully understand of the circadian network throughout our bodies.

            An article from Science Daily titled “The link between circadian rhythms and aging: Gene associated with longevity also regulates the body’s circadian rhythm” talks about a notable relationship found between the SIRT1 gene, which influences the prevention of age-associated diseases, and the circadian rhythm. Mice with an extra SIRT1 gene in the brain showed significantly less decline in circadian control as they aged. This is important since, from previous findings, we know that “a robust circadian period correlate(s) with longer lifespan in mice.” This could lead to possible health benefits and a reduction in the rate of aging through an increase of the SIRT1 gene in our brains, facilitating a better circadian rhythm.

References

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2013, June 20). The link between circadian rhythms and aging: Gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 19, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130620132320.htm

Xu, K., Zheng, X., & Sehgal, A. (2008). Regulation of feeding and metabolism by neuronal and peripheral clocks in Drosophila. Cell Metabolism, 8(4), 289–300.