Publications by authors named "Alexandra F Neitz"
Article Synopsis
- In animals, circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior are governed by a brain circadian clock, which operates through single-cell oscillators and adapts based on environmental changes.
- Research on mouse neurons that express vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) shows that these neurons exhibit daily rhythms of fiber expansion and retraction, similar to those seen in fruit flies.
- These findings suggest that the structural changes in clock neurons are essential for maintaining the circadian rhythm and regulating responses to environmental factors throughout the day.
Article Synopsis
- Nocturnal aversive stimuli can cause mice to shift their activity patterns towards the daytime, particularly when they're eating and drinking outside their safe nest.
- The study reveals that an intact molecular circadian clock is essential for this fear-induced change in behavior, but it alone isn’t enough to maintain the altered rhythms.
- The findings suggest that fear and anxiety disorders may disrupt circadian rhythms, indicating that a fear-entrained clock can lead to lasting disruptions in sleep and activity patterns even after the fear stimulus is removed.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is the site of a central circadian clock that orchestrates overt rhythms of physiology and behavior. Circadian timekeeping requires intercellular communication among SCN neurons, and multiple signaling pathways contribute to SCN network coupling. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is produced by virtually all SCN neurons, and previous work demonstrates that this transmitter regulates coupling in the adult SCN but is not essential for the nucleus to sustain overt circadian rhythms.
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- * The study reveals that the molecular circadian clock is essential for this fear-entrained behavior, but having a functional clock in the SCN alone is not enough to maintain these changes.
- * The findings suggest that the changes in circadian rhythms and sleep patterns typically seen in fear and anxiety disorders may be influenced by a circadian clock that has been altered through fear responses.