Neurons that control brain's body clock identified
The finding is reported in today's online edition of the journal Current Biology . "This discovery, which identifies a direct dopamine neuron connection to the circadian center, is possibly the first step toward the development of unique drugs, targeting specific neurons, to combat the unpleasant symptoms of jet-lag and shiftwork, as well as several dangerous pathologies," said Ali Deniz Güler, a UVA professor of biology and neuroscience who oversaw the study in his lab. Modern society often places abnormal pressure on the human body -- from shifting time schedules due to air travel, to work cycles that don't conform to natural light, to odd eating times -- and these external conditions create an imbalance in the body's natural cycles, which are evolutionarily synchronized to day and night. These imbalances may contribute to depression, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. "Scientists have been working for decades to help the body's ...