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Noninvasive, High-throughput Determination of Sleep Duration in Rodents
Published on: April 18, 2018
CLOCK gene variants associate with sleep duration in two independent populations
Karla V Allebrandt1, Maris Teder-Laving, Mahmut Akyol
1Centre for Chronobiology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Biological Psychiatry
|February 13, 2010
Summary
Genetic variants in the human CLOCK gene are associated with sleep duration. This finding in two independent populations suggests a role for CLOCK beyond circadian timing, potentially impacting mood and obesity.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Sleep Science
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Sleep duration and timing are key properties of sleep.
- Clock genes are implicated in sleep timing, mood, and obesity disorders.
- These disorders are often linked to variations in sleep duration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between human CLOCK gene variants and sleep duration.
- To examine this association in independent populations.
Main Methods:
- Sleep duration was assessed using the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire in approximately 77,000 individuals across Central Europe, Estonia, and South Tyrol.
- A two-stage, linkage disequilibrium-based association study was performed.
- 194 single nucleotide polymorphism markers in 19 candidate clock genes were genotyped in discovery and confirmation samples.
Main Results:
- Associations were identified within a CLOCK gene intronic region (rs12649507 and rs11932595).
- A meta-analysis confirmed the significance of rs12649507 (p = .0087).
- The rs12649507/rs11932595 haplotype GGAA showed a significant association with long sleep duration (p = .0015).
Conclusions:
- Variants of the human CLOCK gene are associated with sleep duration in two independent populations.
- This finding suggests an additional function for the CLOCK gene.
- CLOCK gene variants may influence sleep duration, independent of their role in circadian timing, mood, obesity, and personality.
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