Circadian Clocks

This book sheds new light on the molecular mechanisms that generate circadian rhythms. It examines how biological rhythms influence physiological processes such as sleep, hormone synthesis and secretion, immunity, kidney function, the cardiovascular system, blood pressure, and the digestive system. Clinical implications are considered while exploring the impact of rhythms on neuropsychiatric disorders and chronotherapy’s potential for reducing cardiovascular risk. Offering a cross-section of expertise in both basic and translational (bench-to-bedside) research, this book serves as a guide for physicians and scientists who wish to learn more about the impact of circadian rhythms on physiological processes in health and disease.

This book addresses multiple aspects of biological clocks in prokaryotes. The first part of the book deals with the circadian clock system in cyanobacteria, i.e. the pioneer of bacterial clocks. Starting with the history and background of cyanobacteria and circadian rhythms in microorganisms, the topics range from the molecular basis, structure and evolution of the circadian clock to modelling approaches, Kai systems in cyanobacteria and biotechnological applications. In the second part, emergent timekeeping properties of bacteria in microbiomes and bacteria other than cyanobacteria are discussed. Since the discovery of circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria in the late 1980s, the field has exploded with new information. The cyanobacterial model system for studying circadian rhythms (Synechococcus elongatus), has allowed a detailed genetic dissection of the bacterial clock due to state-of-the-art methods in molecular, structural, and evolutionary biology. Cutting-edge research spanning from cyanobacteria and circadian phenomena in other kinds of bacteria, to microbiomes has now given the field another major boost. This book is aimed at junior and senior researchers alike. Students or researchers new to the field of biological clocks in prokaryotes will get a comprehensive overview, while more experienced researchers will get an update on the latest developments.

This book provides the reader with a contemporary and comprehensive overview about the molecular, cellular and system-wide principles of circadian clock regulation. Emphasis is placed on the importance of circadian clocks for the timing of therapeutic interventions.

In this book, leading experts in the field review how circadian rhythms impact the brain. An essential function of mammalian life is the exploitation of the regularities provided by the 24-hour cycle of day and night. The development and evolution of circadian clock mechanisms have allowed us to optimally adapt our behavior and physiology to the external world. Not surprisingly, a growing body of evidence links the disruption of circadian rhythms by genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors to illnesses of the brain. In the first section of the book, readers will learn about the molecular and anatomic architecture of circadian function in mammals. The ways in which environmental disruptions and misalignments can influence such mechanisms and therefore impair brain function and health status are also addressed. In the second part, the focus shifts to those brain regions responsible for brain function and the body-wide regulation of circadian function. Amongst others, special attention is paid to the role of astrocytes and the brain’s reward and hyprocretin / orexin systems. The book concludes with an extensive discussion on the consequences of circadian rhythm dysfunction. Several chapters present the latest findings on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, drug abuse and mood disorders. Written by auhorities in the field, the book provides a state-of-the-art review of the latest findings on circadian clocks in the brain and highlights their potentially far-reaching impacts on our health and well-being. As such, it is essential reading for all neuroscientists and clinicians seeking to understand the intricate connections between circadian rhythms and brain health and illness.

The nature of the circadian clocks is described at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and system levels of organization in diverse organisms. The central role of the circadian clock in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle as well as seasonal rhythms and other cyclical processes is also discussed. The importance of the circadian clock system for human health, safety, performance, and productivity is also reviewed in this volume."--BOOK JACKET.

Circadian rhythms, the biological oscillations based around our 24-hour clock, have a profound effect on human physiology and healthy cellular function. Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease is a wide-ranging foundational text that provides students and researchers with valuable information on the molecular and genetic underpinnings of circadian rhythms and looks at the impacts of disruption in our biological clocks in health and disease. Circadian Rhythms opens with chapters that lay the fundamental groundwork on circadian rhythm biology. Section II looks at the impact of circadian rhythms on major organ systems. Section III then turns its focus to the central nervous system. The book then closes with a look at the role of biological rhythms in aging and neurodegeneration. Written in an accessible and informative style, Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease,will be an invaluable resource and entry point into this fascinating interdisciplinary field that brings together aspects of neuroscience, cell and molecular biology, and physiology.

Recent years have seen spectacular advances in the field of circadian biology. These have attracted the interest of researchers in many fields, including endocrinology, neurosciences, cancer, and behavior. By integrating a circadian view within the fields of endocrinology and metabolism, researchers will be able to reveal many, yet-unsuspected aspects of how organisms cope with changes in the environment and subsequent control of homeostasis. This field is opening new avenues in our understanding of metabolism and endocrinology. A panel of the most distinguished investigators in the field gathered together to discuss the present state and the future of the field. The editors trust that this volume will be of use to those colleagues who will be picking up the challenge to unravel how the circadian clock can be targeted for the future development of specific pharmacological strategies toward a number of pathologies.