Publications by authors named "Allison R Spears"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how daily breathing patterns, or minute ventilation, are regulated by both the body's circadian clock and external light conditions, specifically through a type of retinal cell known as Brn3b-expressing ipRGCs.
- Mice exposed to a non-standard light cycle (14 hours light and 14 hours dark) demonstrated a 28-hour rhythm in their breathing patterns, peaking at the onset of darkness, which was linked to their physical activity.
- When tested, mice lacking the Brn3b-expressing ipRGCs maintained a consistent 24-hour rhythm in breathing, indicating that external light cues can influence ventilation rhythms even when the body's internal clock is not perfectly aligned.
While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls 24-h rhythms in breathing, including minute ventilation (V), the mechanisms by which the SCN drives these daily changes are not well understood. Moreover, the extent to which the circadian clock regulates hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory chemoreflexes is unknown. We hypothesized that the SCN regulates daily breathing and chemoreflex rhythms by synchronizing the molecular circadian clock of cells.
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