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Maintenance of circadian rhythm is important for mental and physical health, and disruption of the sleep-wake cycle has wide-ranging effects, because many tissues in the body have circadian rhythms (JW Psychiatry Apr 6 2009). These researchers examined the mechanism of environmental circadian disruption (20-hour light/dark cycles) on normal physiological and behavioral function in mice.
Altered light/dark cycles disrupted the circadian rhythm in body temperature and resulted in weight gain and higher levels of leptin and insulin (with normal glucose levels). Compared with mice in typical 24-hour cycles, mice with disrupted circadian rhythms showed less neuronal complexity in the medial prefrontal cortex. When tested behaviorally, the disrupt…