Monk Timothy H
Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
J Biol Rhythms. 2005 Aug;20(4):366-74. doi: 10.1177/0748730405277378.
This review discusses the ways in which the circadian rhythms of older people are different from those of younger adults. After a brief discussion of clinical issues, the review describes the conventional wisdom regarding age-related changes in circadian rhythms. These can be summarized as four assertions regarding what happens to people as they get older: 1) the amplitude of their circadian rhythms reduces, 2) the phase of their circadian rhythms becomes earlier, 3) their natural free-running period (tau) shortens, and 4) their ability to tolerate abrupt phase shifts (e.g., from jet travel or night work) worsens. The review then discusses the empirical evidence for and against these assertions and discusses some alternative explanations. The conclusions are that although older people undoubtedly have earlier circadian phases than younger adults, and have more trouble coping with shift work and jet lag, evidence for the assertions about rhythm amplitude and tau are, at best, mixed.
本综述探讨了老年人的昼夜节律与年轻人不同的方式。在简要讨论临床问题后，该综述描述了关于昼夜节律随年龄变化的传统观点。这些观点可归纳为关于人们随着年龄增长所发生情况的四个论断：1）他们昼夜节律的振幅减小；2）他们昼夜节律的相位提前；3）他们的自然自由运转周期（tau）缩短；4）他们耐受突然相位变化（例如，因乘飞机旅行或夜间工作导致的相位变化）的能力变差。该综述接着讨论了支持和反对这些论断的实证证据，并探讨了一些其他解释。结论是，尽管老年人的昼夜节律相位无疑比年轻人更早，并且在应对轮班工作和时差反应方面有更多困难，但关于节律振幅和tau的论断证据充其量是好坏参半的。
