Northwestern professors collaborate on circadian rhythm and sleep research

Sleep and circadian rhythms were once seen as separate disciplines and were not nearly as connected as they are in the world of medicine today. In fact, Northwestern has been at the forefront of this groundbreaking research, according to Weinberg professor Fred Turek.

“I would argue that Northwestern University has played a major role in integrating the two fields into what is almost one field today,” said Turek, the Charles and Emma Morrison Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

Turek and his long-time colleague Kristen Knutson, associate professor of neurology and preventive medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, created a laboratory to analyze the connections and unearthed critical revelations about sleep.

“Sleep health is multidimensional,” says Knutson. “It’s sleep duration — are you getting enough sleep? But it’s also quality. It can also be timing.”

Knutson has also done research that has linked both sleep and circadian rhythm disruption to cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunctions and other health disparities. According to her,

“There’s a lot of experimental work that has shown that even a week of sleeping only four or five hours a night changes your autonomic nervous system.”

Researchers also include Martha Hotz Vitaterna ’92 PhD, a neurobiology research professor at Weinberg and neurobiology research assistant professor Peng Jiang, among others.

Learn more about circadian biology, sleep and related research from Northwestern Magazine’s article titled, “The Rhythm of Sleep.”