Circadian rhythms, the biological oscillations based around our 24-hour clock, have a profound effect on human physiology and healthy cellular function. Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease is a wide-ranging foundational text that provides students and researchers with valuable information on the molecular and genetic underpinnings of circadian rhythms and looks at the impacts of disruption in our biological clocks in health and disease. Circadian Rhythms opens with chapters that lay the fundamental groundwork on circadian rhythm biology. Section II looks at the impact of circadian rhythms on major organ systems. Section III then turns its focus to the central nervous system. The book then closes with a look at the role of biological rhythms in aging and neurodegeneration. Written in an accessible and informative style, Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease,will be an invaluable resource and entry point into this fascinating interdisciplinary field that brings together aspects of neuroscience, cell and molecular biology, and physiology.

Dr. Phyllis Zee has put together an expert panel of authors on the topic of the Science of Circadian Rhythms. Articles include: Neurobiology of Circadian Rhythm Regulation, Effect of Light and Melatonin and other Melatonin Receptor Agonists on Human Circadian Physiology, Consequences of Circadian Disruption on Cardiometabolic Health, Consequences Circadian Disruption on Neurologic and Psychiatric Health, Aging and Circadian Rhythms, Circadian and Homeostatic Regulation of Sleep and Performance, Circadian disruption in Psychiatric Disorders, and more!

With the invitation to edit this volume, I wanted to take the opportunity to assemble reviews on different aspects of circadian clocks and rhythms. Although most c- tributions in this volume focus on mammalian circadian clocks, the historical int- duction and comparative clocks section illustrate the importance of various other organisms in deciphering the mechanisms and principles of circadian biology. Circadian rhythms have been studied for centuries, but only recently, a mole- lar understanding of this process has emerged. This has taken research on circadian clocks from mystic phenomenology to a mechanistic level; chains of molecular events can describe phenomena with remarkable accuracy. Nevertheless, current models of the functioning of circadian clocks are still rudimentary. This is not due to the faultiness of discovered mechanisms, but due to the lack of undiscovered processes involved in contributing to circadian rhythmicity. We know for example, that the general circadian mechanism is not regulated equally in all tissues of m- mals. Hence, a lot still needs to be discovered to get a full understanding of cir- dian rhythms at the systems level. In this respect, technology has advanced at high speed in the last years and provided us with data illustrating the sheer complexity of regulation of physiological processes in organisms. To handle this information, computer aided integration of the results is of utmost importance in order to d- cover novel concepts that ultimately need to be tested experimentally.

"Life on Earth is adapted to our planet's 24-hour rotation and orbital revolution around the sun. The circadian clock is an organism's natural timing device. It establishes a link between the organism and its external environment to drive rhythms in feeding, activity and rest, body temperature, and hormones, and it ranges from the level of the cell to the whole organism and from bacteria to mammals. The biological clock has emerged as a potent regulator of human physiology, and it orchestrates cellular trafficking to achieve whole-body metabolic synchronization. A temporary mismatch between this internal biological clock and our external environment could increase the risk for various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, infertility, neurological disorders, and cancer. This book is comprised of twenty chapters written by experienced and passionate academics and professionals and will be a valuable source of information for scientists and clinicians. Collectively, this book has provided a comprehensive account of our current knowledge about emerging insights into the circadian rhythm in physiology and diseases. It will shed light on clinical and basic research and provide the development of new clinical strategies for therapeutic intervention"--

Clinical practice related to sleep problems and sleep disorders has been expanding rapidly in the last few years, but scientific research is not keeping pace. Sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome are three examples of very common disorders for which we have little biological information. This new book cuts across a variety of medical disciplines such as neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, psychology, otolaryngology, and nursing, as well as other medical practices with an interest in the management of sleep pathology. This area of research is not limited to very young and old patientsâ€"sleep disorders reach across all ages and ethnicities. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation presents a structured analysis that explores the following: Improving awareness among the general public and health care professionals. Increasing investment in interdisciplinary somnology and sleep medicine research training and mentoring activities. Validating and developing new and existing technologies for diagnosis and treatment. This book will be of interest to those looking to learn more about the enormous public health burden of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation and the strikingly limited capacity of the health care enterprise to identify and treat the majority of individuals suffering from sleep problems.

This issue of Neurologic Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Phyllis C. Zee, with consulting editor Randolph W. Evans, will focus on Circadian Rhythm Disorders. Topics include, but are not limited to, Circadian biology, Genetic basis of circadian rhythms, Implication of circadian rhythm misalignment on sleep and health, Assessment of circadian rhythms, Circadian Rhythm sleep-wake phase disorders, Irregular sleep-wake rhythm sleep –wake disorder, Non-24 hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder, Shift Work Sleep Disorder, Challenging cases, and Future of circadian and sleep medicine.