Biologists from New York University have uncovered new ways
our biological clock’s neurons use electrical activity to help keep behavioral
rhythms in order. The findings, which appear in the journal Current Biology,
also point to fresh directions for exploring sleep disorders and related
afflictions.
“This process helps explain how our biological clocks keep
such amazingly good time,” said Justin Blau, an associate professor of biology
at NYU and one of the study’s authors.
Blau added that the findings may offer new pathways for
exploring treatments to sleep disorders because the research highlights the
parts of our biological clock that “may be particularly responsive to treatment
or changes at different times of the day.”