Max Mednik
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Readings and musings

Can You Feel The (Circadian) Rhythm?

5/8/2012

4 Comments

 
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Learnings from Circadian Rhythm Conference

In April, I got the chance to accompany my wife to a conference on circadian rhythm and metabolic disease (she was presenting a groundbreaking poster on the role of circadian rhythm genes in sebocyte skin cells). The Chancellor of UCLA has a lab studying circadian rhythm science, and I got the chance to hear him speak about his research. The conference took place at the Bruin Woods retreat center in Lake Arrowhead, which was a beautiful location that featured many cool outdoors-y activities like hiking, kayaking, archery, rock climbing, etc. (too bad it wasn't summer time!), and the food was really good too.

While most of the talks were highly technical, I was able to follow some of them and learned a lot about the importance of the circadian rhythm in affecting practically all biological functions. On the flip side, I learned how irregularities in one's rhythm can disrupt and cause many common diseases, especially diabetes (irregular rhythm is stronger indicator of diabetes than weight/BMI!). What that means for you: go to sleep on time to stay healthy!

From an "eastern medicine" standpoint, these findings make sense, as the circadian rhythm is what allows us humans to stay in sync with nature around us. And I can see how in our 24/7, work-a-holic, always-online world, circadian rhythms and "synchronization with nature" can get more easily disrupted.

Below are some of the main lessons I took away from the conference sessions. Here's a recent WSJ article on the topic as well.
  • Circadian rhythm regulated by SCN part of brain (across 2 hemispheres)
  • 80,000 neurons stay in sync!
  • VIP synchronizes, GABA desynchronizes
  • Circadian rhythm expressed in most major organs (pancreas, liver, skin)
  • Light from eye comes in and gives signal to brain
  • Experiments use rat models, fat mice, skinny mice, mice with clock genes knocked out (poor mice!)
  • Measure mouse activity by "wheel running" (funny concept; I tried to ask why mice like to run on the wheel but couldn't get a clear answer)
  • Clock genes expressed in cells
  • Bladder shrinks during the day and grows at night to enable comfortable sleep (cool!)
  • Shift workers have higher risk of cancer (!!)
  • Melatonin is protective of cancer (and bad circadian rhythm messes up melatonin)
  • Messed up circadian rhythm leads to diseases (diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome)
  • Messed up circadian rhythm is a stronger indicator of diabetes than BMI (!!)
  • High fructose corn syrup (like in soda) lowers mental function in mice
  • Bad circadian rhythm + bad diet increases hypertension risk
  • Circadian rhythm disturbance leads to metabolic disorders because of dyssynchrony between what body programmed to do and what body does (not in harmony with nature)
  • Exercise at specific times on a daily basis can fix a broken circadian rhythm (used timed wheel access for mice)
  • Circadian disorders affect memory and learned behavior
  • Aging clock: reduction in wheel running amplitude in old mice
  • Old adjust more slowly to new light schedules
  • Phase advance forward increases mortality for old animals (eastward travel) but phase delay back doesn't (if you're old, try not to fly east!)
  • Cool concept: "social jet lag" (going to sleep late Friday and Saturday is like flying west and then waking up early Monday is like flying east)
4 Comments
Leon Kreitzman
5/11/2012 03:28:57 am

Hi

I've written and/or co-authored several books on circadian rhythms but I missed this conference. You mention Messed up circadian rhythm is a stronger indicator of diabetes than BMI (!!) Did you jot down the source oif that remark by any chance

Thanks

Leon Kreitzman

Reply
Yale Landsberg link
7/12/2012 12:28:27 pm

As Leon Kreiztman is one of the leaders in chronobiology, my wife Jackie and I are hoping that he and other professionals will one day use for research what our Better Tymes Project and Better Tymes For Women one are doing in a grass-roots way for "sample size of 1" self-exploration, per...
http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-better-tymes-project-and-better-tymes-for-women-jointly-launch-a-revolutionary-its-all-about-you-and-your-body-clock-clock-app-sun-time-and-moon-time-mood-analysis-is-included-161896915.html .

Reply
Max
5/11/2012 04:20:35 am

I heard it from Dr. Peter C. Butler from UCLA, a member of the conference organizing committee. From a quick search, I couldn't find the study that listed that explicitly, but you could search from his publications or contact him to find the source.

I did find this:

http://jbr.sagepub.com/content/26/5/423.abstract

Reply
go here link
8/7/2013 09:03:03 pm

Thanks for this wonderful post on circadian rhythm. It’s wonderful to learn about the research. I never knew that circadian rhythm is affecting the biological functions. I wish I could attend a conference like that. But still I am very thankful to you that you have posted the lessons of the conference.

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