Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• de Oliveira, Melissa Alves Braga
• de Abreu, Ana Carolina Odebrecht Vergne
• Constantino, Débora Barroggi
• Tonon, André C.
• Díez-Noguera, Antoni
• do Amaral, Fernanda Gaspar
• Hidalgo, Maria Paz

Titel

Taking biological rhythms into account: from study design to results reporting

Ist Teil von

• Physiology & behavior, 2024-01, Vol.273, p.114387-114387, Article 114387

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •Biological rhythmicity is identified across all living organisms.•Accounting for biological rhythms is crucial when designing and reporting studies.•Neglecting temporal variations may result in misinterpretations.•We propose guidelines to incorporate biological rhythms into all stages of research. Numerous physiological and behavioral processes in living organisms exhibit strong rhythmicity and are regulated within a 24-hour cycle. These include locomotor activity and sleep patterns, feeding-fasting cycles, hormone synthesis, body temperature, and even mood and cognitive abilities, all of which are segregated into different phases throughout the day. These processes are governed by the internal timing system, a hierarchical multi-oscillator structure conserved across all organisms, from bacteria to humans. Although these rhythms are intrinsic, they are under environmental influences, such as seasonal temperature changes, photoperiod variations, and day-night cycles. Recognizing the existence of biological rhythms and their primary external influences is crucial when designing and reporting experiments. Neglecting these physiological variations may result in inconsistent findings and misinterpretations. Thus, here we propose to incorporate biological rhythms into all stages of human and animal research, including experiment design, analysis, and reporting of findings. We also provide a flowchart to support decision-making during the design process, considering biological rhythmicity, along with a checklist outlining key factors that should be considered and documented throughout the study. This comprehensive approach not only benefits the field of chronobiology but also holds value for various other research disciplines. The insights gained from this study have the potential to enhance the validity, reproducibility, and overall quality of scientific investigations, providing valuable guidance for planning, developing, and communicating scientific studies.