Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) commonly involve the accumulation and aggregation of neurotoxic proteins that impair and ultimately destroy specific neurons. Considerable evidence from human and animal studies indicates that many NDs show disrupted circadian and sleep as symptoms. Yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which genes cause NDs...
Most organisms use rhythms of sunlight to synchronize their activity to the environment. These rhythms of activity are called circadian rhythms. The rhythms persist with near 24 hour periods when external synchronizing cues are absent. In mammals, the circadian clock is generated at the molecular level by a transcriptional/translational feedback...