"Intrinsic Clocks" presents an array of current research activities on intrinsic clocks and their contributions to biology and physiology. It elucidates the current models for the intrinsic clocks, their molecular components and key mechanisms as well as the key brain regions and animal models for their behavioral analysis. It provides a timely view on how these clocks guide behavior, and how their disruption may cause depressive-like behavior and impairment in cognitive functions. Thereby, any specific method by which the mood-related functions of the intrinsic clocks might be influenced bears therapeutic potential and has clinical interest. The importance of some of these mechanisms was highlighted by the 2017 award of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of the genetic control of the daily biological rhythm. The key to the explanation was the discovery of transcription-translation feedback loops of the so-called “clock genes.”

The study of how solar- and lunar- related rhythms are governed by living pacemakers within organisms constitutes the scientific discipline of chronobiology. Few fields encompass the breadth of science that is associated with this subject, which is at the cutting edge of fields ranging from microbial genetics to ethology to treatment of human psychiatric illnesses. In order to recognise that no individual could do justice to the field in writing a comprehensive text, a group of experienced editors and contributors have collaborated to produce Chronobiology. Written in a clear style and fully illustrated to elucidate difficult points, the book assumes no previous background in neuroscience or maths and reduces technical terminology to a minimum. Examples from the real world and from current and classic research are included.

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.

This book presents practical approaches for the analysis of data from gene expression micro-arrays. It describes the conceptual and methodological underpinning for a statistical tool and its implementation in software. The book includes coverage of various packages that are part of the Bioconductor project and several related R tools. The materials presented cover a range of software tools designed for varied audiences.

This book explores how daily and seasonal rhythmicity is generated, how these rhythms are synchronised by our environment, and how they regulate the neuroendocrine systems that impact our physiology and behaviour. The constraints of surviving in a seasonal environment have shaped human evolution and migration, have shaped our societies and cultures, and continue to influence our everyday lives, health and wellbeing. Identifying the mechanisms whereby seasonal rhythmicity is generated and regulates the brain and body is not only important for understanding the natural world and relevant to animal production, it also offers many insights into the human condition. Each chapter is written by an international expert in the field of chronobiology. A historical perspective on how research into photoperiodism and rhythmicity progressed is initially provided, but the main focus of this book is on the remarkable studies in the last few decades that have unravelled the molecular and cellular machinery underpinning circadian and circannual timing. Topics covered include the role of melatonin in communicating seasonal information to the brain and pituitary gland, the neuroanatomical pathways in mammals, birds and fish by which changes in photoperiod reach the hypothalamus, the role of glial cells (tanycytes) and thyroid hormone in seasonal rhythmicity, neuroplasticity across seasons, effects of changing day length on mood, regulation of “clock“ gene expression, and the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This book will appeal to all students and researchers who wish to learn about current and past research on daily and seasonal rhythmicity. This is the tenth volume in the International Neuroendocrine Federation (INF) Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology series (Volumes 1-7 published by Wiley) that aims to illustrate highest standards and encourage the use of the latest technologies in basic and clinical research and hopes to provide inspiration for further exploration into the exciting field of neuroendocrinology.

This book is a concise, comprehensive and up-to-date account of fundamental concepts and potential applications of biological timekeeping mechanisms in animals and humans. It also discusses significant aspects of the organization and importance of timekeeping mechanisms in both groups. Divided into seven sections, it addresses important aspects including fundamental concepts; animal and human clocks; clock interactions; clocks and metabolism and immune functions; pineal, melatonin and timekeeping; and clocks, photoperiodism and seasonal behaviours. The book also focuses on biological clock applications in a 24x7 human society, particularly in connection with life-style associated disorders like obesity and diabetes. It is a valuable resource for advanced undergraduates, researchers and professionals engaged in the study of the science of biological timekeeping.

In this engaging volume, Professor G. J. Whitrow (1912-2000) takes us on a good-humored and wide-ranging tour of the thing that clocks keep (more or less). He discusses how our ideas of time originated, and coaxes the layment to contemplate with pleasure the differences between cyclic, linear, biological, cosmic, and space-time, while providing frequent diversions into fascinating topics such as the Mayan calendar, the migration of birds, and the dances of bees. This reissue of the classic and authoritative What is Time? includes a new introduction by Dr J. T. Fraser, founder of the International Society for the Study of Time, and a bibliographic essay by Dr Fraser and Professor M. P. Soulsby of the Pennsylvania State University.