Our biorhythms depend on the metabolism in the brain
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The rhythm of our life depends on the change of day and night, but its main engine is not sunlight, but the so-called "internal clock" of the body - circadian rhythms that are responsible for changes in the intensity of biological processes in the body.
The period of these rhythms is approximately 24 hours. In particular, the dependence of the sleep-wake cycle in humans primarily on internal biorhythms, and not on external factors, has been proved experimentally.
In mammals, the generation of circadian rhythms corresponds to a tiny region of the brain in the hypothalamus, which is called the suprachiasmal nucleus.
A new study, led by biology professor Martha Gillett of the University of Illinois, found that the activity of the suprachismal nucleus is controlled by the metabolism in the brain itself, namely the production and movement of chemical energy in cells. In the first place, scientists focused on a phenomenon known as redox reactions in the tissues of the suprachismal nucleus in the brain of rats and mice.
In oxidation-reduction reactions, molecules give up electrons (oxidize) and attach them (they are restored). The researchers found that these processes in the suprachiasmal nucleus have a 24-hour cycle and, figuratively speaking, open and close communication channels in the brain cells.
Professor Martha Gillett explained the significance of this discovery: "The language of the brain is based on electrical signals. This language determines which signals the cells of one part of the brain send to each other, as well as to other parts of the brain. The fundamental discovery is that in the suprachiasmal nucleus without external interference, there are internal fluctuations in the metabolism that activate the internal biological clock. "
"It has always been believed that metabolism (metabolism)" serves "the activity of the brain, we also prove that metabolism is part of the brain. Our study suggests that changes in the metabolic state of cells can be the cause, not the consequence of the activity of neurons. "
Together with Martha Gillett, this research was also carried out by aspirant Yu Yangchun, Dr. Gabby Govindayya, graduate student Ye Dziaoyin, graduate student Liana Artinian, professor of electronic and computer engineering Todd Coleman, chemistry professor Jonathan Swidler and professor of pharmacology Charles Cox. Gillett, Govindayya, Ye, Svidler and Cox represent the Illinois Institute of Beckmann.
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