Epidemiology of the human circadian clock

Roenneberg, Till; Kuehnle, Tim; Juda, Myriam; Kantermann, Thomas; Allebrandt, Karla V.; Gordijn, Marijke C. M.; Merrow, Martha

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2007.07.005

Cited by 1,257 publications

(1,211 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…This difference reflected well the epidemiological trend that is observed in the general population, e.g., as reported by Roenneberg and colleagues (27). To characterize possible cellular origins of these differences, two 2-mm dermal punch biopsies were taken from every subject.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Serum factors in older individuals change cellular clock properties

Pagani

Schmitt²,

Meier³

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Human aging is accompanied by dramatic changes in daily sleepwake behavior: Activity shifts to an earlier phase, and the consolidation of sleep and wake is disturbed. Although this daily circadian rhythm is brain-controlled, its mechanism is encoded by cellautonomous circadian clocks functioning in nearly every cell of the body. In fact, human clock properties measured in peripheral cells such as fibroblasts closely mimic those measured physiologically and behaviorally in the same subjects. To understand better the molecular mechanisms by which human aging affects circadian clocks, we characterized the clock properties of fibroblasts cultivated from dermal biopsies of young and older subjects. Fibroblast period length, amplitude, and phase were identical in the two groups even though behavior was not, thereby suggesting that basic clock properties of peripheral cells do not change during aging. Interestingly, measurement of the same cells in the presence of human serum from older donors shortened period length and advanced the phase of cellular circadian rhythms compared with treatment with serum from young subjects, indicating that a circulating factor might alter human chronotype. Further experiments demonstrated that this effect is caused by a thermolabile factor present in serum of older individuals. Thus, even though the molecular machinery of peripheral circadian clocks does not change with age, some age-related circadian dysfunction observed in vivo might be of hormonal origin and therefore might be pharmacologically remediable.chronobiology | peripheral oscillators | human behavior C ircadian clocks possess an endogenous periodicity of about 24 h and play a key role in physiological adaptation to the solar day for all living organisms, from cyanobacteria and fungi (1) to insects (2) and mammals (3). Circadian clocks influence nearly all aspects of physiology and behavior, including sleepwake cycles, body temperature, and the function of many organs (3). During normal aging, clock function is attenuated, with consequences both for health and quality of life. Older individuals have an earlier phase of everyday activity compared with the young (4). Not only is the consolidation of sleep and wake dramatically reduced (5, 6), but overall circadian amplitude of hormones and body temperature are lower (7,8), and many agingassociated sleep-wake pathologies have been reported (9-11). As a result, one in five healthy older individuals reports taking sleep medications regularly (9). In cases of pathological aging, chronobiological disturbance is even more acute: Huntington disease, Parkinson disease, and Alzheimer's disease are all associated with profound alterations in sleeping patterns (10-12). These effects of aging on circadian rhythms-diminished circadian amplitude, earlier phase, shorter circadian period, and desynchronization of rhythms in peripheral organs-have been observed widely in several species of mammals (7,13,14). Paradoxically, however, even though the behavioral phase is earlier in aged humans, m...

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Serum factors in older individuals change cellular clock properties

Pagani

Schmitt²,

Meier³

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Judging from our results and those of others, it is clear that aged individuals show a tendency to become more morning-oriented than young people (Roenneberg et al 2007). Again, it can be argued that endogenous (body clock) or exogenous (lifestyle timing) contributions or a combination of both may explain this phase advance.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…However, phase advancing was paused by a phase delay in a point between the 6-month-old babies and young adults that presumably could occur during the adolescence (Roenneberg et al 2007). Regarding the enhancing of the first harmonic, it was consistently increased in all the groups with the exception of older people, probably due to the disruption of the CS by rhythm fragmentation as described for sleep and activity (Van Someren et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Ontogeny and aging of the distal skin temperature rhythm in humans

Batinga

Martínez-Nicolás

Zornoza-Moreno

et al. 2015

AGE

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In circadian terms, human ontogeny is characterized by the emergence of a daily pattern, from a previous ultradian pattern, for most variables during the first 6 months of life. Circadian aging in humans is characterized by a phase advance, accompanied by rhythm fragmentation and flattening. Despite an expanding body of literature focused on distal skin temperature, little information is available about the ontogeny and practically nothing about age-related changes in this rhythm. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the degree of maturation and aging of the circadian pattern of distal skin temperature to identify those parameters that are modified throughout life and could be used to differentiate subjects according to their age. For this, distal skin temperature was measured in 197 volunteers (55 % women), including babies aged 15 days (30 subjects), 1 month (28 subjects), 3 months (31 subjects), and 6 months (10 subjects); young adults aged 19 years (37 subjects); middle-aged persons aged 46 years (27 subjects); older people aged 72 (34 subjects). Circadian system maturation was associated with an increase in amplitude and a reduction in skin temperature during sleep. During adulthood, women showed a more robust pattern (lower fragmentation, and higher night-time temperature, amplitude, circadian function index, and first harmonic relative power); however, these differences were lost with aging, a period of life that was consistently associated with a phase advance of the rhythm. In summary, distal skin temperature pattern can be used as a robust variable to discern between different ages throughout the life.

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“…Children tend to have a morning typology, but this tendency changes to an evening typology during puberty, and back to morning typology after adolescence and during adulthood 15. We consider that college students in this study were of post-adolescence age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of chronotypes in a large sample of young adult Saudis

BaHammam

Almestehi

Albatli

et al. 2011

Annals of Saudi Medicine

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:There are no published data on the chronotypes of young Saudi adults. This study assessed the distribution of chronotypes in college-aged Saudis.DESIGN AND SETTING:Cross-sectional survey of college studentsPATIENTS AND METHODS:A validated abridged version of the original Horne and Ostberg morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQr) was used to assess the chronotype of 759 subjects.RESULTS:Of 540 (71.1%) males and 219 (28.9%) females participated in this study ( age range, 18-32 years), 138 (18.2%) were “morning-types” 417 (54.9%) were “neither-types” and 204 (26.9%) were “evening-types”. There was no significant gender difference in MEQr typology. In Saudis, particularly males, the frequency of morning typology was somewhat higher than that reported for individuals in similar age groups in some Western countries.CONCLUSION:Most Saudi college students had no preference for morningness or eveningness and were classified as “intermediate-type”. Morningness appears to be slightly more common in Saudis, especially males, than in individuals of some Western societies.

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Epidemiology of the human circadian clock

Cited by 1,257 publications

References 40 publications

Serum factors in older individuals change cellular clock properties

Serum factors in older individuals change cellular clock properties

Ontogeny and aging of the distal skin temperature rhythm in humans

Distribution of chronotypes in a large sample of young adult Saudis

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