Mahé V, Chevalier J F
Service de Psychiatric, Hôpital Richaud, Versailles.
Presse Med. 1995 Jun 17;24(22):1041-6.
Most of the vegetative, hormonal and behavioural functions of the human organism operate under the biological control of a circadian clock which responds to environmental and social stimuli, synchronizing the organism's physiology to daily and seasonal rhythms. The underlying anatomic structures are located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the pineal gland. Although the precise physiologic mechanisms involved are still under study, melatonin is known to play a major role. Normal function of the circadian clock is disrupted in jet-lag, night-shift work, and blindness as well as in rare cases of lesions to the pineal gland leading to a shift in biological rhythms including hormone secretion and control of body temperature, for example. Several signs of impaired function have been identified: various types of sleep disorders, memory and concentration impairment, dysphoria, asthenia, irritability. Seasonal recurrence of such signs and frequent depressive complications are also suggestive of a disorder in the circadian clock. Knowledge of specific clinical signs and biological parameters will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of other disease states dependant on the circadian clock and to the development of therapeutic strategies capable of regulating the organism's chronobiology.
人体的大多数营养、激素和行为功能在生物钟的生物控制下运行，生物钟对环境和社会刺激做出反应，使机体的生理机能与日常和季节性节律同步。其潜在的解剖结构位于视交叉上核和松果体。尽管其中涉及的精确生理机制仍在研究中，但已知褪黑素起着主要作用。生物钟的正常功能在时差反应、夜班工作、失明以及罕见的松果体损伤病例中会受到干扰，例如，这会导致生物节律的改变，包括激素分泌和体温控制。已经确定了一些功能受损的迹象：各种类型的睡眠障碍、记忆力和注意力受损、烦躁不安、乏力、易怒。这些迹象的季节性复发以及频繁的抑郁并发症也提示生物钟紊乱。对特定临床体征和生物学参数的了解无疑将有助于发现其他依赖生物钟的疾病状态，并开发能够调节机体时间生物学的治疗策略。
