research, published<\/a> in the Journal of Biological Rhythms, identifies a specific developmental window where circadian rhythms begin to synchronize with local time.<\/p>\nDisruption of these rhythms during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of mood disorders, including anxiety and depression, later in life.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding when the fetal clock begins to function helps us identify sensitive developmental windows when circadian disruption may have lasting effects and how those effects might be prevented or corrected,\u201d said Nikhil Lokesh, study author and a research scientist in biology, in a news release.<\/p>\n
Observing the Fetal Clock<\/p>\n
To track these rhythms, scientists utilized genetically engineered mice to observe circadian clock activity in utero. By tagging a clock protein with a luminescent protein, researchers detected cyclical patterns of expression during the final week of pregnancy, which corresponds to the third trimester in humans.<\/p>\n
The study found that these day-night rhythms synchronized to the mother\u2019s rest-activity cycle before the fetus was capable of sensing light. The synchronization appears to coincide with the movement of glucocorticoid hormones across the placenta.<\/p>\n
\u201cImportantly, we found daily rhythms across the placenta from the mother to the baby before the fetus can sense light,\u201d said Erik Herzog, professor in biology, in a news release.<\/p>\n
Impact on Clinical Practice<\/p>\n
These stress-related hormones naturally fluctuate throughout the day under the control of the mother\u2019s internal clock. The researchers discovered that administering synthetic glucocorticoids\u2014routinely given to patients at risk of preterm birth\u2014accelerated the synchronization of daily rhythms in the offspring.<\/p>\n
These findings may influence how and when clinicians administer medications to treat pregnancy conditions, as the time of day for hormone delivery could impact fetal development.<\/p>\n
Circadian Health and Development<\/p>\n
The researchers also observed a strong association between the failure to develop circadian clock gene activity in fetuses and a failure to deliver. While the study does not yet confirm if the absence of rhythms causes developmental problems, it suggests that clock activity is closely linked to healthy fetal development.<\/p>\n
Lokesh noted that the findings highlight the importance of maintaining stable circadian rhythms during pregnancy, particularly as more than 80% of the world\u2019s population is exposed to artificial light at night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis knowledge could help guide medical treatments, inform clinical practices, and shape public health policies aimed at protecting neonatal circadian health during pregnancy,\u201d said Lokesh, study author and a research scientist in biology, in a news release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New research indicates that maternal signals synchronize fetal circadian rhythms in utero, potentially influencing long-term neonatal healthcare outcomes.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[163,85,46,28660,76148,79635,540],"class_list":{"0":"post-390322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-pediatric-care","12":"tag-pregnancy-and-prenatal-care","13":"tag-sleep-medicine-pediatric","14":"tag-womens-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}