Washington: Having problem with sleep disorders? A new research suggests that these common sleep disturbances can one day be put to bed.
Overnight flights across the Atlantic, graveyard shifts, stress-induced insomnia are all prime culprits in keeping us from getting a good night`s sleep.
In the new study, researchers have identified how a fundamental biological process called protein synthesis is controlled within the body`s circadian clock - the internal mechanism that controls one`s daily rhythms.
Their findings may help shed light on future treatments for disorders triggered by circadian clock dysfunction, including jet lag , shift work disorders, and chronic conditions like depression and Parkinson`s disease.
"To understand and treat the causes and symptoms of circadian abnormalities, we have to take a closer look at the fundamental biological mechanisms that control our internal clocks," study co-author Dr. Shimon Amir, professor in Concordia University`s Department of Psychology, said.
To do so, Amir and co-author Dr. Nahum Sonenberg, a James McGill professor in the Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill University, studied how protein synthesis is controlled in the brain clock.
"We identified a repressor protein in the clock and found that by removing this protein, the brain clock function was surprisingly improved," Dr. Sonenberg said.
The research is published in the journal Neuron.
ANI
