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Coupling-induced synchronization in multicellular circadian oscillators of mammals

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Abstract

In mammals, circadian rhythms are controlled by the neurons located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Each neuron in the SCN contains an autonomous molecular clock. The fundamental question is how the individual cellular oscillators, expressing a wide range of periods, interact and assemble to achieve phase synchronization. Most of the studies carried out so far emphasize the crucial role of the periodicity imposed by the light-dark cycle in neuronal synchronization. However, in natural conditions, the interaction between the SCN neurons is non-negligible and coupling between cells in the SCN is achieved partly by neurotransmitters. In this paper, we use a model of nonidentical, globally coupled cellular clocks considered as Goodwin oscillators. We mainly study the synchronization induced by coupling from an analytical way. Our results show that the role of the coupling is to enhance the synchronization to the external forcing. The conclusion of this paper can help us better understand the mechanism of circadian rhythm.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the NNSF of China (Grant No: 11102106 and 11172158).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Information Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Ying Li & Jinhuo Luo

  2. Institute of Systems Biology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Zengrong Liu

  3. College of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, China

    Hui Wu

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  1. Ying Li
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  2. Zengrong Liu
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  3. Jinhuo Luo
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  4. Hui Wu
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Correspondence to Ying Li.

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Li, Y., Liu, Z., Luo, J. et al. Coupling-induced synchronization in multicellular circadian oscillators of mammals. Cogn Neurodyn 7, 59–65 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-012-9218-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-012-9218-9

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