The suprachiasmatic nucleus is located in the anterior region of the hypothalamus and contains about 20,000 neurons, its function is as fascinating as it is decisive: it works as our internal clock, regulating sleep and wakefulness cycles.
Thus, thanks to the stimuli it receives through our retina, it allows us to be more or less active depending on the time of day.
- Humans.
- Like animals.
- Are sensitive to the changes that are taking place around us.
- The Earth and its rotation establish the models of light and temperature that condition our level of activation.
- All of which facilitate our adaptation.
- Therefore.
- Our metabolism is.
- In a way.
- Closely related (although sometimes it does not seem so) to nature.
These circadian rhythms, in turn, are surrounded by the most interesting areas of our brain, in this way regions such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus become regulatory ‘centers’ capable of orchestrating specific neural and hormonal events to control aspects such as rest, energy, body temperature and hunger.
Let’s look at more data below
“Look at nature deeply and then you’ll understand everything better. “Albert Einstein?
Actually, we don’t have a single suprachiasmatic nucleus, we have two, and both are located in each brain hemisphere and very close to the hypothalamus, so they integrate just above the optical chiasma for a single purpose: to receive the signals captured. by the retina to regulate as well, a large number of biological processes.
Studies such as that published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience by Dr. Joseph L. Bendot does not hesitate to call the suprachiasmatic nucleus a brain clock, in addition, this brain structure is known to promote processes as relevant as memory and learning.
Therefore, proper and restful sleep remains critical for our brain and for each of its processes.
Therefore, any function of the circadian system is related to diseases ranging from sleep disorders to memory loss (especially severe in the elderly).
The functioning of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is complex. The biochemical processes that take place there are very precise and at the same time complicated, however, we can understand their development more easily if we divide it into steps:
In recent decades, scientists have been discovering more data on this structure through Drosophila. As we well know, this insect and its study provide us with valuable information on the fundamentals of biology and genetics.
Today we know that the suprachiasmatic nucleus helps us maintain circadian rhythms by coordinating the synchronization of many other internal circadian clocks. Because in addition to what may seem, our body and brain have hundreds of mechanisms that regulate a myriad of processes and behaviors.
The processes that would help regulate would be
The functioning of the suprachiasmatic nucleus can be modified by many factors, many of them derived from our lifestyle habits:
In addition, the suprachiasmatic nucleus has a direct relationship with the pituitary gland and melatonin production, as we can intuit, it is common that, as we age, levels of this hormone decrease, all this causes sleep disorders, fatigue, memory loss. , exhaustion, discouragement, etc.
In addition, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have also been found to cause progressive loss of neurons forming the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Therefore, ideally try (as far as possible) to take care of our routines, ideally start following a schedule that does not have many variations, including regulating light exposure of electronic devices.