Circadiam Rhythms in Humans and Animals

Other animals also show temporal behavior so that circadian rhythms can be changed as humans enter new time zones and seasons. As the animal's environment changes over time, they must constantly change in order to constantly change their time intervals as food is collected. This is very common in edible animals such as bees and bats. For example, bees know when to leave their nest boxes and honey out of flowers. Because bees adapt to when flowers "refill" honey.

But why do you study the physiology of squirrels? It turned out that the destruction of the circadian rhythm could disrupt the brain and body of humans and other animals. This natural rhythm disorder is associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity and seasonal affective disorder. Understanding the challenges of how other mammals respond to circadian rhythms will help to better understand the foundation of human health problems. Another project currently funded by NSF is dedicated to understanding the unique squirrel features that support hibernation. When the weather gets cold, the squirrel will enter a state called hospital hibernating and saving energy. In this state, the physiological processes of animals such as metabolism and heart rate are greatly reduced. Researchers are interested in exploring the genetic basis of these extreme physiological changes

Chen and Yoo are studying circadian rhythms and the 24-hour physiological pattern of most organisms (including humans) is tracked everyday. These rhythms are millions of years in the world. The system is old, rugged and flexible. It is the product of organism's body clock and environmental cues - the most remarkable is the product of the sun and many other factors, and they control our behavior, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature and metabolism. The so-called "master clock" that controls the circadian rhythm of humans consists of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a pair of cell populations containing the gene that performs this function (Clock, Npas 2, Bmal, Per 1, Per 2, Per 3, Cry 1, Including Cry 2). ), Located in the hypothalamus of the brain