Spring Break
University study examines seasonal behavioral changes
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 5/1/07
Posted online at 10:23 PM EST on 4/30/07
/ Last updated at 6:11 AM EST on 4/30/07
A pioneering study conducted at Brandeis has shed light on seasonal behavioral changes in fruit flies, knowledge that could eventually translate into a better understanding of seasonal physical and mental changes in humans that occur between the brighter and darker months.
The study-published April 6 in Cell, a leading biology journal-showed that the neurons which control the fruit fly's daily rhythm of sleep and activity, known as the circadian rhythm, form a network that underlies the insect's seasonal behavior adjustments. The model proposed by the study is the first experimentally based explanation of seasonal adaptation.
In two earlier papers, the same research team established that one group of cells governed the flies' behavior in the morning, while another governed their evening behavior. Prof. Michael Rosbash (BIO), whose National Center for Behavioral Genomics lab conducted the study, called the latest work the "culmination of this trilogy."
Prof. Jeffrey Hall (BIO), who will retire after this year, was a major contributer to this research.
The current study suggests a connection between depression and biological rhythm. In it, researchers show that a gene called "shaggy" goes to make up a key part of the pathway traveled by light to the brain centers that affect circadian behavior.
Though researchers said more work needs to be done to determine whether this discovery could apply to humans and other mammals, Dan Stoleru, the study's lead author, said one potential application of the research could be the treatment of seasonal depression.
Previous studies have shown that lithium-a medicine used to treat various depressive disorders-targets gene GSK-3, essentially the human equivalent of shaggy, Rosbash said. The relationship of GSK-3 with both lithium and light has intrigued researchers, Stoleru said, because exposure to specific amounts of light has been suggested as another effective therapy for depression in general and seasonal depression in particular.
The study-published April 6 in Cell, a leading biology journal-showed that the neurons which control the fruit fly's daily rhythm of sleep and activity, known as the circadian rhythm, form a network that underlies the insect's seasonal behavior adjustments. The model proposed by the study is the first experimentally based explanation of seasonal adaptation.
In two earlier papers, the same research team established that one group of cells governed the flies' behavior in the morning, while another governed their evening behavior. Prof. Michael Rosbash (BIO), whose National Center for Behavioral Genomics lab conducted the study, called the latest work the "culmination of this trilogy."
Prof. Jeffrey Hall (BIO), who will retire after this year, was a major contributer to this research.
The current study suggests a connection between depression and biological rhythm. In it, researchers show that a gene called "shaggy" goes to make up a key part of the pathway traveled by light to the brain centers that affect circadian behavior.
Though researchers said more work needs to be done to determine whether this discovery could apply to humans and other mammals, Dan Stoleru, the study's lead author, said one potential application of the research could be the treatment of seasonal depression.
Previous studies have shown that lithium-a medicine used to treat various depressive disorders-targets gene GSK-3, essentially the human equivalent of shaggy, Rosbash said. The relationship of GSK-3 with both lithium and light has intrigued researchers, Stoleru said, because exposure to specific amounts of light has been suggested as another effective therapy for depression in general and seasonal depression in particular.
Be the first to comment on this story