Signature Seminar Series: "The Circadian Clock and Human Health" by Prof Till Roenneberg

Sleep impacts metabolism, immune function, memory consolidation, reaction time, decision-making, mental state and eating behaviour. Sleep has been identified as one of the most important determinants for health, and conversely, sleep problems, disturbances and pathologies represent major risk factors for disease. Sleep timing is regulated by the body clock, which is synchronised by light and darkness. This ‘entrainment’ differs between individuals (chronotypes). We have weakened the signals that set our biological clocks making most of them later. These changes have produced a new syndrome, social jetlag. The direct and indirect costs of sleep-related problems are estimated to approach 2-3% of the gross national product. To understand the mechanisms that link clock, sleep and health, we have to go beyond the laboratory, have to measure these central aspects of human life in the real world (in situ). We have to collect sleep-relevant data world-wide, comparing different geographical locations, different seasons and climates, cultures, and states of industrialisation/electrification and begin to understand some of the factors that are relevant in the triangle clock, sleep and health.

HOST:
Prof David Virshup
Professor and Programme Director
Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Programme
Duke-NUS Medical School

VENUE:
Duke-NUS Medical School
Amphitheatre, Level 2

CONTACT:
Ms Kathleen Chan
Duke-NUS Research Affairs Department
Email: kathleen.chan@duke-nus.edu.sg