Foster Russell G, Kreitzman Leon
* Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology), Level 5-6 West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, UK.
Exp Physiol. 2014 Apr;99(4):599-606. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.2012.071118. Epub 2013 Dec 20.
Until we turned our nights into days and began to travel in aircraft across multiple time zones, we were largely unaware that we possess a 'day within' driven by an internal body clock. Yet the striking impairment of our abilities in the early hours of the morning soon reminds us that we are slaves to our biology. Our ability to perform mathematical calculations or other intellectual tasks between 04.00 and 06.00 h is worse than if we had consumed several shots of whisky and would be classified as legally drunk. Biological clocks drive or alter our sleep patterns, alertness, mood, physical strength, blood pressure and every other aspect of our physiology and behaviour. Our emerging understanding of how these 24 h rhythms are generated and regulated is not only one of the great success stories of modern biology, but is also informing many areas of human health. Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption (SCRD) is a feature shared by some of the most challenging diseases of our time, including neuropsychiatric illness and serious disorders of the eye. Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption is also commonly seen across many sectors of society, from teenagers to shift workers. We also now appreciate that SCRD is far more than feeling sleepy at an inappropriate time. It promotes multiple illnesses ranging across abnormal metabolism, heart disease, reduced immunity, increased stress and abnormal cognition and mood states. This short review considers how 24 h rhythms are generated and regulated, the consequences of working against our body clock and the emerging relationship between SCRD and mental illness.
在我们将夜晚变成白天，并开始乘坐飞机跨越多个时区旅行之前，我们基本上没有意识到我们拥有一个由体内生物钟驱动的“内在日”。然而，清晨时分我们能力的显著下降很快就提醒我们，我们是生物学的奴隶。我们在凌晨4点到6点之间进行数学计算或其他智力任务的能力，比喝了几杯威士忌还要差，会被判定为法律上的醉酒状态。生物钟驱动或改变我们的睡眠模式、警觉性、情绪、体力、血压以及生理和行为的其他各个方面。我们对这些24小时节律如何产生和调节的新认识，不仅是现代生物学最成功的案例之一，也为人类健康的许多领域提供了信息。睡眠和昼夜节律紊乱（SCRD）是我们这个时代一些最具挑战性的疾病所共有的特征，包括神经精神疾病和严重的眼部疾病。睡眠和昼夜节律紊乱在社会的许多阶层中也很常见，从青少年到轮班工人。我们现在也认识到，SCRD远不止是在不合适的时间感到困倦。它会引发多种疾病，包括异常代谢、心脏病、免疫力下降、压力增加以及认知和情绪状态异常。这篇简短的综述探讨了24小时节律是如何产生和调节的，违背生物钟的后果，以及SCRD与精神疾病之间新出现的关系。
