Body clock cure
2 Sep 2010 by Evoluted New Media
Jetlag and insomnia might be a thing of the past after scientists in Manchester used a drug to reset and restart the natural body clock of mice.
Jetlag and insomnia might be a thing of the past after scientists in Manchester used a drug to reset and restart the natural body clock of mice.
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Researchers reset and restart the natural body clock |
Researchers found a drug that slows down casein kinase 1 – an enzyme thought to be central to the internal body timing system. They used it in mice where the circadian rhythm had stopped altogether to re-establish the ticking of the clock by inhibiting the activity of casein kinase 1.
“We’ve shown that it’s possible to use drugs to synchronise the body clock of a mouse and so it may also be possible to use similar drugs to treat a whole range of health problems associated with disruptions of circadian rhythms,” said Professor Andrew Loudon from the University of Manchester’s faculty of Life Science.
Loudon likened the 24-hour day to one tick of the major body clock, with each tick representing the rise and fall of a wave over 24 hours. On the upwards wave, there is an increase in proteins in the cell that are part of the clock mechanism, which are degraded as you do down towards the trough of the wave. He said the faster the enzyme works, the steeper the downward part of the wave and the faster the clock ticks, adjusting the body clock from 24 hours to another time period.
“It can be really devastating to our brains and bodies when something happens to disrupt the natural rhythm of our body clocks,” Loudon said, “We’ve discovered that we can control one of the key molecules involved in setting the speed at which the clock ticks and in doing so we can actually kick it into a new rhythm.
It is hoped that the work may help develop treatments for some psychiatric diseases and certain circadian sleep disorders. It may also help people suffering from jetlag and those working shifts.
