Lester Lefton Lester Lefton - Kent State University

Resetting the
Body’s
Clock
Professor’s research leads to
healthful strategies
By Lisa Lambert, M.A. ’05
Dr. David Glass conducts pioneering research on the body’s biological clock.
Photograph by B o b C h r i s t y, ‘ 9 5
Everyone is equipped with a biological
clock, a region in the brain the
size of a corn kernel, which dictates our
sleep-wake cycles. Those cycles, known
as circadian rhythms, play a major role
in our physical and mental health.
Pioneering research conducted by
Dr. David Glass, Kent State professor
of biological sciences, has shown the
body’s clock can be reset — and that’s
good news for people who work swing
shifts, experience jet lag or take antidepressants.
Glass, who is known internationally
as the first researcher to measure serotonin
release from the brain’s biological
clock region, has traded in his former
territory for a new frontier in circadian
rhythm research.
“We’ve come to the point where
we’ve answered the questions about the
role of serotonin in the body’s clock,”
Glass says. “Now we’re looking at a particular
neuropeptide that plays a major
role in synchronizing the body’s clock
and mediating behavior.”
Glass has become the first to extract,
identify and measure the neuropeptide,
known as NPY; in fact, he is the first to
study the release of any neuropeptide
important to the control center of the
body’s clock in freely acting animals.
Disruptions to the body’s clock
are more than minor inconveniences;
they can pose serious health risks. For
instance, Glass says studies have shown
people working swing shifts have shortened
life spans, with higher rates of
alcoholism, heart disease and psychiatric
problems than the general populace.
“Our overall focus is to develop ways
to use NPY to manipulate the body’s
clock and help alleviate problems that
arise from our lifestyles,” Glass says.
Learn more about Glass’s research
and adjusting to time changes at www.
kent.edu/magazine.
What’s a neuropeptide?
Neuropeptides, a member
of a class of protein-like
molecules made in the
brain, consist of short
chains of amino acids
— some that function
as neurotransmitters and
some as hormones.
p a g e10
6
2