New discoveries about how the body's biological clock could provide clues to help fight jet lag, the physical condition that occurs when you cross several time zones.
A team from the University of Manchester studied a special cells, the researchers say, play an important role in regulating a person's biological clock.
cells are thought remained inactive during the day, but this study found that the reality suggests otherwise.
is expected that the findings may also pave the way to combat sleep disorders caused by malfunctioning body clock.
Professor Hugh Piggins, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Manchester, said the research will allow a new approach to adjust the clock. Two cells
Research demolished the belief that the brain keeps the body clock more cells firing during the day and very few overnight.
There is great interest in the pharmaceutical industry, obviously, to try to develop chemical treatments to restore the biological clock and help offset things like jetlag
Hugh Piggins, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Manchester
"The model said traditional clock and the brain communicate with the rest of the brain through electrical impulses number of brain cells being produced ", said Professor Piggins told the BBC.
"These impulses travel around the brain telling it what time of day," he added.
"In fact, what we found is that there are at least two types of cells in this part of the brain, "he said.
These brain cells do not behave like any other and containing a key gene, Per1, which allows them to maintain unusually high levels of" excitement ".
cells become so "excited" to appear calm, or even dead, but then they calm down, recover and activate normally again.
is this activity that tells the body when to be awake.
Dysfunction
sleep
Professor Piggins said "there is great interest in the pharmaceutical industry, obviously, to try to develop chemical treatments reset the clock and help offset things like jetlag.
"Or, perhaps more importantly, different types of sleep disorders in which dysfunction often are involved in this watch," he added.
This study marks the first time that these cells "quiet" have been studied.
"This may mean that in other parts of the brain cells are like these, which can also survive these very unusual conditions," said Piggins.
* From: BBC
A team from the University of Manchester studied a special cells, the researchers say, play an important role in regulating a person's biological clock.
cells are thought remained inactive during the day, but this study found that the reality suggests otherwise.
is expected that the findings may also pave the way to combat sleep disorders caused by malfunctioning body clock.
Professor Hugh Piggins, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Manchester, said the research will allow a new approach to adjust the clock. Two cells
Research demolished the belief that the brain keeps the body clock more cells firing during the day and very few overnight.
There is great interest in the pharmaceutical industry, obviously, to try to develop chemical treatments to restore the biological clock and help offset things like jetlag
Hugh Piggins, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Manchester
"The model said traditional clock and the brain communicate with the rest of the brain through electrical impulses number of brain cells being produced ", said Professor Piggins told the BBC.
"These impulses travel around the brain telling it what time of day," he added.
"In fact, what we found is that there are at least two types of cells in this part of the brain, "he said.
These brain cells do not behave like any other and containing a key gene, Per1, which allows them to maintain unusually high levels of" excitement ".
cells become so "excited" to appear calm, or even dead, but then they calm down, recover and activate normally again.
is this activity that tells the body when to be awake.
Dysfunction
sleep
Professor Piggins said "there is great interest in the pharmaceutical industry, obviously, to try to develop chemical treatments reset the clock and help offset things like jetlag.
"Or, perhaps more importantly, different types of sleep disorders in which dysfunction often are involved in this watch," he added.
This study marks the first time that these cells "quiet" have been studied.
"This may mean that in other parts of the brain cells are like these, which can also survive these very unusual conditions," said Piggins.
* From: BBC
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