Circadian physiology and chronotherapy

The Research Group has three main program objectives:

1. Diagnosis of disorders of the circadian system of patients with neuropsychiatric diseases and sleep and wakefulness disorders

The data are useful for clinical research, which should lead to the introduction of individualized chronotherapy, leading to the weakening of disease symptoms and to speeding up the treatment of patients.

Current projects

  • Circadian diagnosis of patients diagnosed with NREM parasomnia

3. Basic research focused on the principles of functioning and adaptation of the mammalian circadian system

Current projects

  • Development of the circadian system in offspring of mothers with opioid dependence (rat)
  • Development of the circadian system in pups of mothers with induced systemic inflammation (rat)
  • Development of the circadian system and alteration of immune system reactivity in pups reared in constant light (rat)
  • Importance of RNA editing on the function of the circadian system (mouse)
  • Importance of Jak/STAT signalling for SCN astrocyte function (rat, mouse)
  • Circadian regulation of m6A RNA methylation (rat, mouse)
  • Photobiomodulatory effects of light on retinal cells (rat)

2. Development of basic chronobiological research focused on humans

Current projects

  • Metabolism, cardiovascular function, obesity (testing of metabolic output and cardiovascular function in extreme chronotypes under stress, genotyping of selected individuals with the aim of defining polymorphisms of clock and other genes in cooperation with the Department of Physiology and the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science of Charles University)
  • The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physiological functions and physical performance, comparison of the importance of sleep deprivation in light and in the dark (collaboration with FTVS)
    the influence of light of a defined wavelength on the human circadian system, cooperation with Spektrasol and Lumbio and UCEEB (Czech Technical University in Prague).
  • Effect of light of defined wavelength on the human circadian system, collaboration with Spektrasol and Lumbio and UCEEB (CTU).

 

The research group actively cooperates with:

  • Faculty of Science of Charles University
  • Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  • University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings of Czech Technical University in Prague
  • Technical University Brno
  • Faculty Hospital at St. Anna in Brno
  • CEITEC
  • Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University
  • Military department at Faculty of Physical Education and Sports of Charles University
  • Spektrasol s.r.o.
  • Lumbio
  • Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic