Scimex: Do you take a week to recover from jetlag, while your partner gets up a
couple of mornings after a long flight spry as a spring lamb? Well,
according to a US study, it may be because your partner has clock
neurons that are more
tightly synchronized than yours. The researchers report that mice with a
well synchronized neural network can recover from a disrupted sleep
pattern much quicker than those with less synchronized neurons, and say
that the findings may help to treat jetlag and the tiredness associated
with shift work. Ever
notice how it takes you 8 days to recover from overseas travel but your spouse
recovers in 3? The rate of recovery from jetlag likely depends on how the daily
clock in your brain is wired. Using a mouse model of jetlag, we find that
individuals that adjust quickly to jetlag have clock neurons that are more
tightly synchronized than individuals that adjust slowly. These findings
indicate that individual differences in daily rhythms can be influenced by how
clock neurons function collectively as a group. This work may suggest new
strategies to accelerate recovery during travel and shift work.
