The Impacts of Circadian Disruption on Neurodevelopmental Disorders

 I really enjoyed Professor Turek’s presentation on The Molecular Circadian Clock and the Impact of Disrupted Rhythms and Sleep on Health and Disease. Taking care of our circadian system and getting the proper amount of sleep might just be one out of the many solutions towards a healthier well-being. How come it sounds so easy, but is actually difficult to maintain? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and somehow ended up in the kitchen eating a bowl of ice cream? Not just plain vanilla ice cream, but all of the delicious toppings including hot fudge sauce, sprinkles, and chocolate chips. At 2am on a Friday, unfortunately, we are not thinking about the long term impacts of eating one bowl of ice cream. We are not focused on how it is going to increase our chances of developing a cardiovascular disease or gastrointestinal disease in the future. Circadian disruption occurs when our circadian clock is not consistent on a day to day basis. In other words, developing self control and preventing ourselves from partaking in some of these habits can go a long way. The disruption of our circadian rhythm not only negatively impacts our physical health, but it also takes a toll on our mental health. Fazal et al., (2002) mentions how there is a connection between circadian disruption and the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder. Abnormalities in sleep and melatonin levels can impact the development of the embryo, which can result in neurodevelopmental disorders. According to Delorme et al., (2021), people with neurodevelopmental disorders are more likely to experience circadian disruption. This occurs within people of all ages who are suffering from autism, schizophrenia, etc. As we already know, circadian disruption could result in detrimental effects, but it is much worse for people suffering from neurodevelopmental disorders because at least 80% of individuals with schizophrenia and autism begin dealing with sleep disturbances at an early age. These sleep disturbances tend to result in psychotic symptoms, and if they are facing an increased amount of symptoms, then they are dealing with a decreased amount of sleep. Their “sleep-wake” cycle is not being consistently regulated, which leads to alterations in certain circadian gene expressions. 

References

Abdul, F., Sreenivas, N., Kommu, J. V. S., Banerjee, M., Berk, M., Maes, M., Leboyer, M., & Debnath, M. (2021). Disruption of circadian rhythm and risk of autism spectrum disorder: role of immune-inflammatory, oxidative stress, metabolic and neurotransmitter pathways. Reviews in the neurosciences, 33(1), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1515/revneuro-2021-0022

Tara C. Delorme, Lalit K. Srivastava, Nicolas Cermakian, Altered circadian rhythms in a mouse model of neurodevelopmental disorders based on prenatal maternal immune activation, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 93, 2021, Pages 119-131, ISSN 0889-1591, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.12.030.