Light, timing of biological rhythms, and chronodisruption in man

Erren, Thomas C.; Reíter, Russel J.; Piekarski, Claus

doi:10.1007/s00114-003-0468-6

Cited by 96 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…the major secretory product of the pineal gland, which can be referred to as the chemical antithesis of light: Erren et al 2003) in humans by different light spectra, light of 459 nm was found to be most effective and, thus, considerably different from the peak sensitivity of rods at approximately 500 nm (Thapan et al 2001). The authors of that study also concluded that novel non-rod, non-cone photoreceptors must be responsible for the effects.…”

Section: Research Into Photoreceptors-'old' and 'New'mentioning

confidence: 66%

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Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Erren

Lerchl

et al. 2007

Naturwissenschaften

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This paper presents a hypothesis that could explain why blue light appears to dominate non-image-forming (NIF) ocular photoreception in marine as well as terrestrial vertebrates. Indeed, there is more and more evidence suggesting that 'novel' retinal photoreceptors, which are sensitive to blue light and were only discovered in the 1990s, could be a feature shared by all vertebrates. In our view, blue light photoreception evolved and persisted as NIF photoreception because it has been useful in the colonisation of extensive photo-dependent oceanic habitats and facilitated the move of vertebrates from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Because the available scattered evidence is compatible with the validity of our hypothesis, we hope that our rationale will be followed up. Indeed, it (1) involves testable predictions, (2) provides plausible explanations for previous observations, (3) unites phenomena not previously considered related to one another and (4) suggests tests that have not been carried out before. Overall, our approach not only embraces cross-disciplinary links; it, moreover, serves as a reminder of an all-embracing evolutionary history, especially with regard to a ubiquitous photoreceptive 'clockwork-blue' in marine and terrestrial vertebrates.

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Section: Research Into Photoreceptors-'old' and 'New'mentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Numerous questions are currently pursued with regards to the occurrence of the 'novel' photoreceptors, their chemical nature and genetic signature as well as their possible relevance for the continua from health to disease (Erren et al 2004), including the development of internal cancers in man (Erren et al 2003).…”

Section: Hypothesis and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Erren

Lerchl

et al. 2007

Naturwissenschaften

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“…But abundant evidence suggests that a host of further health problems such as sleep and bipolar disorders are also associated with disruptions of our internal circadian timing system. In addition, medium-and long-term disruptions of the physiologic balance of the sleep/wake cycle and the endogenous circadian timing of biological rhythms and effectsincluding gene expression levels in individual cellstermed chronodisruption (CD; Erren et al 2003) has been hypothesized to contribute to the development of breast and prostate cancers in man. In that paper, we reviewed abundant experimental data and first epidemiological evidence on the possible relationships between chronodisruption and internal cancers in man.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only in recent years have experimental studies followed up on the initial observations in flight personnel and investigated the possible relationships between chronodisruption and the development of internal cancers in animals (Filipski et al 2004). Conversely, with regard to studies of possible associations between shift work and hormone-dependant cancers such as of the breast and prostate, it was the experimental evidence and biological plausibility of such links which motivated a series of observational studies in females and the initial studies in men (Stevens et al 1992;Erren 2002;Erren et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronodisruption and cancer

Erren

Pape

Reíter

et al. 2008

Naturwissenschaften

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116

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Research into health effects of chronodisruption (CD), a relevant disturbance of the circadian organization of physiology, endocrinology, metabolism and behaviour, is evolving at a rapid pace. With regard to malignancies, our synthesis of key experiments indicates that CD can play a causal role for cancer growth and tumor progression in animals. Moreover, our meta-analyses of 30 epidemiological studies evince that flight personnel and shift workers exposed to chronodisruption may have increased breast and prostate cancer risks: summary relative risks (RRs) for investigations of flight personnel and of shift workers suggested a 70 and 40% increase in the risk of breast cancer, respectively, and excess relative risks of prostate cancer in nine studies in flight personnel (40%) and in two studies in male shift workers. There was a remarkable indication of homogeneity of results from the individual studies that contribute to the average statistics. However, in view of doubts about whether the differing assessments of CD can really be regarded as valid reflections of the same causative phenomenon and the lack of control of covariates in the majority of studies, it is premature to conclude that the risk observations reflect a real, rather than spurious, association with CD. The challenge for future epidemiological investigations of the biologically plausible links between chronodisruption and human cancers is to conduct studies which appreciate details of transmeridian travelling, of shift work and of covariates for the development of the diseases.

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“…The classic functions of MT are associated with the control of the circadian rhythms and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis [8], while other effects of this indole have also been reported [9]. MT has been proved to have antioxidant capacity, acting both as a free radical scavenger and a protective agent to neurons [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melatonin Reduces Projection Neuronal Injury Induced by 3-Nitropropionic Acid in the Rat Striatum

Lin

Liu

et al. 2014

Neurodegener Dis

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Background: Melatonin has shown a protective effect against various oxidative damages in the nervous system. Our previous studies have also confirmed its effect on behavioral dysfunction of experimental rats and injury of striatal interneurons induced by 3-nitropropionic acid. The present study aimed to further determine the effect of melatonin on the injury of striatal projection neurons induced by 3-nitropropionic acid. Methods: Classic histology, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and immunoelectron microscopy were applied in this study. Results: The results were as follows: (1) in the striatum, 3-nitropropionic acid induced a clear lesion area with a transition zone around it, in which both D1+ and D2+ fibers were decreased significantly. However, in the group with melatonin treatment, the striatal lesion area was smaller than in the 3-nitropropionic acid group and the loss of D1+ and D2+ fibers was less pronounced than in the 3-nitropropionic acid group. (2) Histochemical results showed that the dendritic spine density of striatal projection neurons was decreased more seriously after 3-nitropropionic acid treatment, whereas the loss of dendritic spines was less marked in the melatonin-treated group than in the 3- nitropropionic acid group. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the density of D1+ and D2+ dendrites and spines was significantly decreased in the 3-nitropropionic acid group, and the loss of D1+ and D2+ spines as well as D2+ dendrites was significantly reversed by melatonin administration. (3) Western blotting showed that the expression level of projection neuron protein markers decreased more significantly in the 3-nitropropionic acid group than in the control group and increased significantly in the melatonin-treated group. Conclusions: The present results suggest that 3-nitropropionic acid induces serious injury of striatal projection neurons and that melatonin effectively protects against this pathological damage.

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Light, timing of biological rhythms, and chronodisruption in man

Cited by 96 publications

References 90 publications

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Chronodisruption and cancer

Melatonin Reduces Projection Neuronal Injury Induced by 3-Nitropropionic Acid in the Rat Striatum

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