Reppert Steven M, Weaver David R
Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, LRB-728, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA.
Nature. 2002 Aug 29;418(6901):935-41. doi: 10.1038/nature00965.
Time in the biological sense is measured by cycles that range from milliseconds to years. Circadian rhythms, which measure time on a scale of 24 h, are generated by one of the most ubiquitous and well-studied timing systems. At the core of this timing mechanism is an intricate molecular mechanism that ticks away in many different tissues throughout the body. However, these independent rhythms are tamed by a master clock in the brain, which coordinates tissue-specific rhythms according to light input it receives from the outside world.
从生物学意义上讲，时间是通过从毫秒到数年不等的周期来衡量的。昼夜节律以24小时为时间尺度，是由最普遍且研究最深入的计时系统之一产生的。这种计时机制的核心是一种复杂的分子机制，它在全身许多不同组织中滴答运转。然而，这些独立的节律受到大脑中主时钟的调节，主时钟根据从外界接收的光输入来协调组织特异性节律。
