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Updated: Nov 23, 2025
05:46
Recording and Analysis of Circadian Rhythms in Running-wheel Activity in Rodents
Published on: January 24, 2013
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The Peripheral Circadian Clock and Exercise: Lessons from Young and Old Mice
Danielle R Bruns1, Musharraf Yusifova1, Nicholas A Marcello1
1College of Health Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, US.
Journal of Circadian Rhythms
|January 1, 2021
Summary
Voluntary wheel running partially restored circadian rhythm in aged female mice but not males. Exercise benefits are tissue-dependent and may not fully reverse age-related circadian disruption.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Aging research
- Exercise physiology
Background:
- Circadian clock disruption is linked to aging and chronic diseases.
- Exercise is known to mitigate age-related pathologies.
- The impact of exercise on peripheral circadian gene expression in aging remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if voluntary wheel running can restore disrupted circadian rhythms in aged mice.
- To analyze sex-specific differences in response to exercise interventions in aging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of wheel running patterns and circadian regulator gene expression.
- Comparison between adult (4 months) and old (18 months) male and female C57Bl/6J mice.
- Assessment of voluntary wheel running activity and its effects on circadian rhythms.
Main Results:
- Older mice exhibited delayed activity onset, indicating circadian disruption.
- Voluntary wheel running improved circadian dysfunction in older female mice.
- This exercise benefit was not observed in older male mice, with reasons requiring further investigation.
Conclusions:
- Voluntary wheel running can partially rescue age-related circadian dysfunction in female mice, but not males.
- The effects of exercise on circadian rhythms are sex- and tissue-dependent.
- Further research is needed to explore if forced or timed exercise can fully ameliorate age-related circadian dysfunction.
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