Biological Implications of Circadian Disruption
A Modern Health Challenge

Researchers explain how daily schedules and exposure to light can disrupt our circadian clock and lead to health complications.

Laura K. Fonken (Edited by), Randy J. Nelson (Edited by)

9781009060349, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 May 2025

408 pages
25.4 x 17.8 x 2.1 cm, 0.759 kg

Life on earth has evolved under a consistent cycle of light and darkness caused by the earth's rotation around its axis. This has led to a 24-hour circadian system in most organisms, ranging all the way from fungi to humans. With the advent of electric light in the 19th century, cycles of light and darkness have drastically changed. Shift workers and others exposed to high levels of light at night are at increased risk of health problems, including metabolic syndrome, depression, sleep disorders, dementia, heart disease, and cancer. This book will describe how the circadian system regulates physiology and behavior and consider the important health repercussions of chronic disruption of the circadian system in our increasingly lit world. The research summarized here will interest students in psychology, biology, neuroscience, immunology, medicine, and ecology.

1. Introduction to circadian rhythms Laura K. Fonken and Randy J. Nelson
2. Central clock dynamics: daily timekeeping, photic processing, and photoperiodic encoding by the suprachiasmatic nucleus Deborah A. M. Joye, Robert Wheeler and Jennifer A. Evans
3. Melatonin, light, and the circadian system Margarita L. Dubocovich
4. Disrupted circadian rhythms, stress, and allostatic load Ilia N. Karatsoreos
5. Disrupted circadian rhythms and mental health Anthony Rosenthal and Tara A. LeGates
6. Circadian rhythms and cognitive functioning Jacob S. Moeller and Lance J. Kriegsfeld
7. Circadian rhythm disruption in aging and Alzheimer's disease Marilyn J. Duncan
8. Circadian rhythms regulate neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury Andrew D. Gaudet and Emily K. Greenough
9. Disrupted circadian rhythms and neuroendocrine function in fertility Alexandra M. Yaw, Brooke M. DeVries and Hanne M. Hoffmann
10. Disrupted circadian rhythms and metabolic function Deanna M. Arble
11. Disrupted circadian rhythms, time restricted feeding, and blood pressure regulation Zhenheng Guo, Tianfei Hou and Ming C. Gong
12. Disrupted circadian rhythms and immune function Louise M. Ince, Devin Simpkins and Julie E. Gibbs
13. Circadian rhythms and cardiac function Leandro C. Brito, Saurabh S. Thosar, and Matthew P. Butler
14. Disrupted circadian rhythms and cancer Baharan Fekry and Kristin Eckel-Mahan
15. Light effects across species in nature: a focus on solutions Kevin J. Gaston and Johanna H. Meijer
16. Measurement and analysis of exposure to light at night in epidemiology Xiaozhe Yin and Travis Longcore.

Subject Areas: Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR]