The overall idea of biological organisms having a natural cycle it follows has been around for many years. These natural cycles are circadian rhythms, and they are how an organism responds to physical, mental, and behavioral changes experienced within a 24-hour cycle. In “Central and Peripheral Clock Control of Circadian Feeding Rhythms,” researchers Fulgham et al. seek to find the contribution circadian rhythms play in relation to feeding rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster. Although most studies usually focus solely on the central clock of an organism, this study takes into consideration the role of peripheral clock control in an organism as well. Peripheral clocks can either function in unison with the central clock or own their own as a separate mechanism. In this study, the overall purpose was to see to what extent do both central and peripheral clocks alter feeding activity. The clocks were either made to function in unison with one another, or one was temporarily eliminated to see the capabilities of one clock on its own. Various tests were ran, and the Fly Liquid Food Interaction Counter (FLIC) was used to monitor the feeding behaviors of the flies. It was established by using FLIC and the experiments, that feeding behavior is directly controlled by circadian rhythms. It was noted that the central clock contributed most to this effort since it decides the timing of the feeding rhythms. Furthermore, it was concluded based on the disruption of the peripheral clocks, feeding behaviors were weaker when disrupted and stronger when left alone, indicating peripheral clocks play a substantial role in feeding behaviors as well. As can be seen, circadian rhythms play a significant role in the regulation of an organisms physical and behavioral outputs. With this in mind, think of the impact circadian rhythms have on humans and their everyday busy lives.
In a contemporary study, researchers sought to explore the implications of sleeping behavior, circadian rhythms, and daytime functioning in relation to long term side effects of COVID-19. The overall purpose of this study was to examine whether disturbances in the listed categories predispose people to more severe forms of COVID-19/longer lasting symptoms (Long-COVID). The study consisted of 47 patients who were each asked to participate in a survey in which they answered questions on sleeping behaviors, circadian rhythms, and their overall mental well-being before and after the outbreak of the pandemic. Based on the results of the study, a few hypotheses were drawn on the topics previously discussed. In relation to circadian rhythms, it was hypothesized that “pre-existing circadian misalignment, sleepiness, and insomnia and other sleep problems… might be associated with severity of infection in terms of intensity and duration” (Merikanto et al., 2021). When looking in debt at the hypothesis, it can be inferred that circadian rhythms contribute significantly to sleeping patterns. It is not surprising that this correlation was noticed because it is often said that a lack of sleep can highly affect the ability of a human’s immune system to combat viruses. Therefore, due to an unhealthy circadian rhythm cycle that contributes to lack of sleep, a human is more likely to be predisposed to harsher forms of COVID-19 due to a weakened immune system.
Although both studies are significantly different in approach and overall goal, the reasoning behind pairing the two together is to show the way in which circadian rhythms at an in debt level (first study) truly does play a large role in the lives of humans today (second study). As can be seen based on the results found in both studies, circadian rhythms have a significant task in regulating an organism’s body in response to both internal and external forces.
References
Fulgham, Carson V et al. “Central and Peripheral Clock Control of Circadian Feeding Rhythms.” Journal of biological rhythms vol. 36,6 (2021): 548-566. doi:10.1177/07487304211045835
Merikanto, Ilona et al. “Disturbances in sleep, circadian rhythms and daytime functioning in relation to coronavirus infection and Long-COVID – A multinational ICOSS study.” Journal of Sleep Research, 00, e13542. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13542
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