- Mike Leventhal
- Cognition and effects of sex and circadian rhythms
- Molecular & Cellular Biology/Psychology
Describe
your research
experience
This past summer (2014), I worked on a research project investigating the effects of sex and disrupted circadian rhythms on cognition.
During recent times, globalization and the increasing need for a 24-hour society have contributed to a sharp rise in the number of shift workers--employees who work outside of the normal “9 to 5” schedule and active when they might normally be sleeping. Shift workers face increased risks for several health conditions including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, obesity, and mood disorders.
The basic premise of our experiment involves both male and female rats performing a behavioral task which assesses their attentional performance: the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT). The independent variables of the experiment are sex and the time of day that the rats perform the task: some rats train on the task during the part of their day when they would normally be active and others train when they would normally be sleeping (like shift workers).
From this experiment, we are trying to get a better understanding of how shift work impacts cognitive functions in addition to sex differences, sleep/activity patterns, and reproductive cycles.