Douglas researchers look at time change

Verdun, October 27, 2005 – It’s that time of year again; grey skies, smell of wood burning and one hour more of sleep as clocks get reset. This time-shift is meant to give us one extra hour of usable daylight in the morning, but what are the consequences to our mental health? Are we disturbed but this change and can we adapt easily? Researchers at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre are studying how we set our internal clocks. They can discuss how this occurs and how this affects our systems.

Diane Boivin MD, PhD, director of the Douglas Center for Study and Treatment of Circadian Rhythms and her team are studying the role of light in regulating the body’s "circadian rhythms" or daily cyclic activity. They have shown that disruption of these rhythms by shift work, or jetlag may affect one's health and well-being causing symptoms such as difficulties reasoning, mood liability and stomach discomfort. They have further shown that light-therapy may help reset the internal clock and facilitate adaptation to different sleep-wake schedules. They can comment on the effect of the one-hour shift and how to make this change easier.

Understanding our “clock genes”
Do some people adapt to time change easier than others? Douglas researcher, Nicolas Cermakian, PhD is examining the functioning of circadian rhythms at a cellular and genetic level. His work focuses on understanding “clock genes”. Mutation of these clock genes in animals or in humans leads to disturbed rhythms, which can cause sleep disturbances and mood disorders, and may even favour cancer progression. He can discuss how clock genes work, what regulates them and how they may differ from person to person, giving rise to night-owls and early-risers.

Affiliated with McGill University and the World Health Organisation, the Douglas Hospital Research Centre is one of the largest in the country, with a team of over 60 scientists and clinical researchers and 180 post-graduate students. This team is devoted to understanding the causes of mental disorders – whether genetic, environmental, cultural or social – as well as developing diagnostic tools, treatments and prevention methods.

Source: Christine Zeindler
 

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