Restoring Molecular Circadian Rhythm

University of Pennsylvania

Status

Suspended

Conditions

Healthy Young

Healthy Elderly

Treatments

Other: Observational study without intervention

Study type

Observational

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04086589

832866

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal is to address the mechanisms that account for alteration of circadian rhythms with age. As the blood of aged individuals can produce this alteration, the investigators propose to use such blood samples to "age" circadian rhythms in cultured cells. The investigators will verify aged blood-dependent alteration of rhythms and then conduct molecular screens to reverse this decline. If the investigators identify specific genes that can restore molecular circadian rhythm in vitro, the investigators will explore these in animal models (Drosophila, mouse).

Enrollment

40 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

20 to 85 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

General good health with the following conditions permissible
- cardiovascular risk prevention, intake of low dose aspirin,
- hypertension, intake of beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, calcium channel blockers
- hypercholesterinemia, intake of statins
Cases: 70-85 years of age
Controls: 20-35 years of age
Patients must be able to read and understand English
Participants must sign the informed consent form
Participants must have a wrist-actigraphy-based average TST (total sleep time) ≥ 6 hours per night (measured over 7 consecutive days) occurring between 22:00 - 08:00

Exclusion criteria

Known history of severe psychiatric or cognitive conditions, for example mania, schizophrenia, or mental retardation
Shift work, defined as recurring work between 22:00-05:00
History of clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea
Transmeridian travel across ≥2 time zones in the two weeks prior to the blood draws and one week after,
> 2 drinks of alcohol per day
Use of illicit drugs