By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.on November 26, 2010
Researchers believe chronic jet lag alters the brain in ways that cause memory and learning problems. And the impairment lasts long after one’s return to a regular 24-hour schedule.
Jet lag is a result of crossing several time zones in a short period of time, with the worst effects occurring during eastward travel.
When a person enters a time zone that is not synched with his or her internal clock, it takes much longer to reset this daily rhythm, causing jet lag until the internal clock gets re-synched.
In the study, University of California Berkeley psychologists subjected female Syrian hamsters to six-hour time shifts — the equivalent of a New York-to-Paris airplane flight — twice a week for four weeks.
During the last two weeks of jet lag and a month after recovery from it, the hamsters’ performance on learning and memory tasks was measured.
As expected, during the jet lag period, the hamsters had trouble learning simple tasks that the hamsters in the control group aced. What surprised researchers was that these deficits persisted for a month after the hamsters returned to a regular day-night schedule.
What’s more, the researchers discovered persistent changes in the brain, specifically within the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays an intricate role in memory processing.
Compared to the hamsters in the control group, the jet-lagged hamsters had only half the number of new neurons in the hippocampus following the month-long exposure to jet lag.
New neurons are constantly being added to the adult hippocampus and are thought to be important for hippocampal-dependent learning, according to neurobiologist Dr. Lance Kriegsfeld, while memory problems are associated with a drop in cell maturation in this brain structure.
“This is the first time anyone has done a controlled trial of the effects of jet lag on brain and memory function, and not only do we find that cognitive function is impaired during the jet lag, but we see an impact up to a month afterward,” said Kriegsfeld.
“What this says is that, whether you are a flight attendant, medical resident, or rotating shift worker, repeated disruption of circadian rhythms is likely going to have a long-term impact on your cognitive behavior and function.”
Kriegsfeld, graduate student Erin M. Gibson and their colleagues reported their findings this week in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE.
“Other studies have shown that chronic transmeridian flights increase deficits in memory and learning along with atrophy in the brain’s temporal lobe, suggesting a possible hippocampal deficit,” said Gibson. “Our study shows directly that jet lag decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus.”
Flight attendants and rotating shift workers – people who regularly alternate between day and night shifts – have been found to have learning and memory problems, decreased reaction times, higher incidences of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer, and reduced fertility.
To date, these effects have been documented only in jet-lagged subjects, not after recovery from jet lag, Gibson said.
The UC Berkeley study is the first to look at long-term effects as well as changes in brain anatomy.
“The evidence is overwhelming that disruptions in circadian timing have a direct impact on human health and disease,” Kriegsfeld said.
“We’ve now shown that the effects are long-lasting, not only to brain function, but likely to brain structure.”
The researchers used hamsters in their study because they are a classic model of circadian rhythms. Their bodily rhythms are so precise, Kriegsfeld said, that they will produce eggs, or ovulate, every 96 hours to within a window of a few minutes.
Because jet lag can increase stress hormones like cortisol and disrupt reproduction, the researchers controlled for the effects of these by removing adrenal glands or ovaries in some of the hamsters and injecting normal levels of hormone supplements of corticosterone and estrogen, respectively. These hamsters showed a similar reduction in new, mature hippocampal neurons in the brain.
“The change was really dramatic and shows that the effect on behavior and the brain is direct, not a secondary effect of increased stress hormones,” Gibson said. “They are not due to increased cortisol concentrations.”
How do you avoid jet lag problems? Kriegsfeld said that, in general, people should allow one day of recovery for every one-hour time zone shift. Those, such as night-shift workers, who cannot return to a normal day-night cycle should sleep in a room with light-tight curtains shielded from outside noise in order to properly adjust to an altered sleep schedule.
Share: html .fb_share_link { padding:2px 0 0 20px; height:16px; background:url(http://b.static.ak.fbcdn.net/images/share/facebook_share_icon.gif?8:26981) no-repeat top left; }Facebook | del.icio.us | reddit | Stumble |Related News Articles
How Scents Evoke Memories Light at Night Creates Changes in Brain Related to DepressionStudy Targets Protein Group in Alcohol AbuseProtein Levels Linked To Memory Problems in Alzheimer’sCompound Shows Promise for Reversing Memory Loss in Aging MiceNew Findings May Help Understanding of Neurological DisordersDiminished Memory, Executive Function Found in Siblings of Bipolar PatientsDisabling a Gene (in Mice) Boosts IntelligencePhysically Fit Kids Have Bigger HippocampusProtein Released in Arthritis Reverses Alzheimer’s
Brain and Behavior, General, Health-related, LifeHelper, Memory and Perception, Mental Health and Wellness, Psychology, Research, Sleep, Stress, Work and Career -->
NewsAddictionADHDAdvocacy and PolicyAggression and ViolenceAgingAgoraphobiaAlcoholismAlzheimer'sAnorexiaAnxietyAutismBipolarBlogrollBrain and BehaviorBulimiaChildren and TeensDepressionDissociationDomestic ViolenceEating DisordersFDA AlertFeaturedGeneralGeneticsHealth-relatedLifeHelperMedicationsMemory and PerceptionMental Health and WellnessNeuropsychology and NeurologyOCDpainPanic DisorderParentingParkinson'sPersonalityPhobiasPoliticsProfessionalPsoriasisPsychologyPsychotherapyPTSDRelationships and SexualityResearchSchizophreniaSleepSocial PhobiaStressSubstance AbuseSuicideTechnologyWork and Career
ArchivesNovember 2010October 2010September 2010August 2010July 2010June 2010May 2010April 2010March 2010February 2010January 2010December 2009200820072006Older News
advertisementMost Popular NewsEating Disorders Rise Sharply in Children Eating Disorders Rise Sharply in Children Eating Disorders Rise Sharply in Children Brain Proteins Linked to Early Dementia Upper-Class Low on Emotional Intelligence Light at Night Creates Changes in Brain Related to Depression Do Search Engines Create Knowledge? Why Do People Become Psychopaths? Our Brains Distort Our Own Body Image Exhaustion Syndrome Explored Most Popular Blog PostsIt's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas The Link Between Video Games and Violence 7 Quick Tips to Avoid a Meltdown Generic Lexapro Coming to Stores Near You! 12 Ways To Recover from an Emotional Affair 12 Ways To Recover from an Emotional Affair Psychiatric Solutions Hospitals Under Fire How to Spot a Narcissist You Can Only Change Yourself Common Signs of Someone Who May be Suicidal Article Tools
Bookmark
Print
Email Friend
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter
Users Online: 2651
Join Us Now!
Find a Therapist
.dmcontent_container {text-align: center;width: 125px;height: 100px;}.dmcontent_title {text-align: left; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;width: 160px;color: #286EA0;background-color: #ffffff;}.dmcontent_body {overflow-y: auto; text-align: left;font-family: verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 16px; font-size: 11px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;width: 118px;height: 79px;background-color: #FFFFFF;text-decoration: none;border-bottom: 1px dotted #000088;}.dmcontent_link {list-style: none; background:url("http://g.psychcentral.com/bullet8.gif") 0px 2px no-repeat;margin-top:1px;padding-left:19px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;margin-left:-4px;color: #000088;text-decoration: none;}.dmcontent_body a:link, a:active { background:url("http://g.psychcentral.com/bullet8.gif") 0px 2px no-repeat;color: #286EA0; text-decoration: none; }.dmcontent_body a:visited { background:url("http://g.psychcentral.com/bullet8.gif") 0px 2px no-repeat;color: #068; text-decoration: none; }.dmcontent_body a:hover { background:url("http://g.psychcentral.com/bullet8.gif") 0px 2px no-repeat;color: #00F; text-decoration: underline; }Local GuidesAll Guides
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
DC
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
advertisement
« Back to Previous Page• Bookmark This Page• Print Version
Need to chat with someone now? Live therapists are available 24/7 to chat online Home • About Us • Advertise with Us • Contact UsPrivacy Policy • Terms of Use • Site Map • Disclaimer/Disclosure • Feeds
Download the Psych Central Toolbar | Chat with a Live Counselor Now
Follow us on: Twitter or Facebook Copyright © 1992-2010 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Site last updated: 29 Nov 2010 #foot-mid { margin:0 0 0 40px; } Psych Central Professional
Psych Central Answers
Psych Central Blog Network
Psych Central News
Tests & Quizzes
Sanity Score
Forums • NeuroTalk
ADHD
Anxiety
Bipolar
Depression
Schizophrenia
Psychotherapy
We complywith the
HONcode
standard:
Verify here
0 comments:
Post a Comment