Body Clocks Dictate the Beat of Life
Humans and
animals have a master clock which prescribes the general time after which all
other body cells set their watches. The human master clock consists of around
20,000 neurons located in the brain directly above the optic nerve. The master
clock is connected by delicate nerve fibres to the optic nerve which re-sets
the master clock every day.
But how
does the master clock coordinate its 20,000 different neurons so that they all
beat at the right time and pass on the correct rhythm? The neurons communicate
amongst themselves via second messengers, called neuro transmitters and, thus,
they inform their neighbours about the time. When all neurons of the master
clock have agreed on a rhythm, they activate the internal clocks of all other
body cells and influence the behaviour but also the metabolism of humans.
Germany: Around 15 per cent do not live in sync with their Body Clock
“Not only
the sun sets our body clock,” Prof. Herzel explained at the MDC conference.
“Clock genes determine a good portion of the body’s rhythm.” For example, the
clock genes decide whether people tend to be either early worms or late
raisers.
“Around 15
per cent of the Germans do not live in sync with their body clock,” said Prof.
Herzel. Against their nature, they try to adapt themselves to the timeframes of
work and friends. Hence, they often suffer from insomnia and headaches. Frequent
travelling over several time zones can also lead to disturbances. Using a new
examination method, physicians can now determine whether these troubles are
caused by genetic variations in the clock genes. Meanwhile, individual adapted
light therapies are possible.
Participants
in the 3‑day conference, which ends on Saturday, includes more than 100
scientists and young researchers from the USA,
Israel, and Europe. The main discussions of the meeting focus on the
new branch of research “Systems Biology” which combines computational and
experimental molecular biology. Rather than examining single genes or proteins,
systems biologists study how such genes and gene products are controlled and
how they interact together. The conference organizers are Professor
Nikolaus Rajewsky (MDC), Professor Hermann-Georg Holzhütter (Charité,
Berlin, Germany),
and Professor Dimitris Thanos (Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece).
Bachtler
Press
and Public Affairs
MaxDelbrück
Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)
Berlin-Buch
Robert-Rössle-Straße
10; 13125 Berlin; Germany
Phone:
+49 (0) 30 94 06 — 38 96
Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 — 38 33
e‑mail:
presse@mdc-berlin.de
http://www.mdc-berlin.de/
