The Physiology of Ultradian Rhythms and Their Role in Affecting Disease Resistance.
Abstract
United States military combat personnel will not always be able to maintain normal 24 hr schedules of work and rest. Our laboratory has been studying in what ways biological rhythms interact with some non-standard light-dark schedules to affect how well an animal functions and how susceptible it is to disease. Contrary to what might be expected, we have found that a number of non-24 hr schedules actually protect rodents from both stress-induced and spontaneously occurring diseases. This phenomenon, which we call 'chronotherapy', may eventually be used to reduce the incidence of disease in stressful situations where the length of the light-dark schedule can be controlled, such as in spacecraft. We hypothesize that these non-standard light-dark schedules enhance disease resistance by changing the relationships between various behavioral and physiological rhythms. To examine the relationships between rhythms in animals on non-24 hr schedules, we have developed a system which concurrently monitors behavior (motor activity; performance on a vigilance-choice task, feeding) and physiological processes (plasma cortisol; core temperature) in non-human primates.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA148842
Entities
People
- B. H. Natelson
- W. N. Tapp
Organizations
- New Jersey Medical School