Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and the Autonomic Nervous System

摘要

Circadian rhythms play an essential role in the homeostatic regulation and functional balance of temperature, cardiovascular and metabolic adaptation, feeding, reproduction, development and maturation, hormonal status/ neurohormonal interaction, and the sleep-wakefulness cycle that guarantee survival, adaptation, efficient action in everyday's life, and well-being. In this framework, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mediates a complex, highly differentiated network of distributed organs and biological sensors and compensates for internal and external needs, thus contributing in the processes that collectively sustain the internal environment constancy. Neuroimaging indicates direct/indirect functional interactions between autonomic control and activation in brain structures that are involved in higher brain functions, including conscious processes; a model network (the Central Autonomic Network) has been proposed to describe these interactions (Berntson & Cacioppo, 2004; Friedman, 2007; Hagemann, Waldstein, & Thayer, 2003; Riganello, Dolce, & Sannita, 2012; Thayer & Lane, 2009; Thayer & Sternberg, 2006). Disorders at the central or cellular level and peculiar lifestyles can impair (or disarrange) the respective rhythms with respect to the circadian organization and cause medical, subjective, professional, or behavioral changes ranging from functional to medical relevance (Garbarino, Lanteri, Durando, Magnavita, & Sannita, 2016).