circadian rhythms

The sympathetic nervous system influences gene expression in the heart to regulate the day-night cycle of resting heart rate.

By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.

Researchers found that shifted sleep/wake cycles in young rats result in increased functional deficits and mortality following stroke later in life.

A reference sequence for this emerging model organism will facilitate research on type 2 diabetes and the health effects of circadian rhythm disruption.

Before their own central clocks develop, the brains of fetal rats detect their mother’s metabolic cycle to help regulate the expression of certain genes.

Disturbing circadian rhythms in organoids and mice increases intestinal tumor growth, findings that may explain a recent rise in colon cancer among young adults, the researchers behind the work say.

More cancer cells are shed from primary tumors when individuals are asleep than when they’re awake, according to observations in mouse models and a small cohort of breast cancer patients.

The microbiota helps align a mouse’s innate immune system with its feeding patterns, prepping the animal to fend off infection when it’s most likely to be eating.

A light-sensitive gene involved in regulating the body clock may also influence mood, mediating the effect of light.

A study of 19 postmenopausal women found that eating a bar of chocolate in the morning affected their bodies differently than eating it at night, but neither led to weight gain.

Two studies show that Plasmodium—the genus of protozoans that cause malaria—have an internal sense of time that synchronizes with their host’s circadian rhythms and allows the parasites to collectively attack blood cells.

Under constant darkness, Drosophila’s ability to form lasting memories is impaired.

As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.

Habits such as napping might influence how humans cope with extreme environments, such as those at a polar research facility in winter.

Circadian rhythms heavily influence how our bodies use energy, a small study suggests.

Timekeepers in muscle help mediate metabolism, and may influence neurological processes such as sleep.

Just 20 years ago, scientists didn’t even realize muscles had their own circadian clocks. Now they are beginning to appreciate their importance in health. 

Even in mice with a busted circadian clock and an unhealthy diet, carefully timed feeding overcomes the rodents’ predispositions for metabolic diseases.