Age and high-fat diet interact to accelerate degredation of circadian output signals in Drosophilia melanogaster
As people age, their daily rhythms of activity can become disorganized; this can lead to chronic sleep issues and may contribute to the onset and progression of diseases of aging. Daily rhythms of activity are coordinated by a master circadian clock in the brain, which serves as a pacemaker for molecular clocks in every tissue of the body. These molecular clocks keep organisms in sync with the environment and coordinate the timing of physiological activity across organ systems. Both aging and nutritional stress, such as consuming a high fat diet, can lead to “out of sync” clocks between different organs, contributing to metabolic disorders of aging and disrupted daily activity patterns. Dr. Barber’s research investigates how aging and dietary stress interact to alter the way our bodies keep time. This basic research will eventually aid in identifying pharmacological, dietary and lifestyle chronotherapies to improve quality of life into old age.
