A team of researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has identified a type of cells in the brain that play a decisive role in the regulation of circadian rhythms , a kind of internal biological clock that controls everything from our sleep patterns and metabolism to our metabolism. blood pressure and hormone production.
Neuroscientists have long known that circadian rhythms are generated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, an area in the hypothalamus made up of thousands upon thousands of neurons. Now, in an article published in the journal Neuron , these experts point out that they have managed to determine for the first time which of them are involved in this fundamental mechanism for living beings .
"We have found that certain neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus that express a neuropeptide called neuromedin s, a protein made of amino acids that neurons use to communicate, are necessary in the development of circadian rhythms," explains neurobiologist Joseph Takahashi, of the aforementioned institution. , who has coordinated the trial. In essence, this means that they work like a cellular pacemaker .
According to the researchers, this finding could be used in the future to devise new therapies to treat sleep problems, hormonal and metabolic disorders and even psychiatric disorders .
