The 20th annual Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009.

Pregnancy and Reentrainment after Phase Shifts in Octodon degus
Norris 102, 8:30 AM

Amanda  Tilot,   '09 40
   Majors: Psychology, Biology
   Hometown: Saginaw, MI

Sponsor(s): Tammy Jechura
Support:  

Abstract: 
Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24-hour cycles found in nearly every species studied. Interest in the field of chronobiology has skyrocketed in the last 40 years with new implications for rhythms research in human health and disease. Among these discoveries has been the interaction between hormones and circadian rhythms, best exemplified in the estrous cycle. The purpose of my thesis research has been to understand how pregnancy affects recovery from circadian rhythm disruption in an animal model. To this end, 6 female Octodon degus were phase shifted during pregnancy and the time until recovery of normal activity patterns was compared to non pregnant animals experiencing a similar shift. It was found that the pregnant animals recovered from the shifts at a different rate than non-pregnant animals, taking significantly longer to recover from a shift analogous to the jet-lag experienced after flying to Europe. Other measures of their circadian function were examined, such as the duration of their daily activity before and after each shift. These data suggest that the condition of pregnancy and the associated changes in hormone levels has a strong impact on circadian functioning. Our result necessitates further research to better understand the potential negative effects of chronic rhythm disruption on pregnancy outcome, a reality faced by shift workers of many professions.

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