Ultradian Rhythms in Life Processes : An Inquiry Into Fundamental Principles of Chronobiology and Psychobiology

Profound progress has been made in the fields of chronobiology and psychobiology within the past decade, in theory, experiment and clinical application. This volume integrates these new developments on all levels from the molecular, genetic and cellular to the psycho­ social processes of everyday life. We present a balanced variety of research from workers around the globe, who discuss the funda­ mental significance of their approach for a new understanding of the central role of ultradian rhythms in the self-organizing and adaptive dynamics of all life processes. The years since the publication of Ultra dian rhythms in physiology and behavior by Schultz and Lavie in 1985 have seen a burgeoning realization of the ubiquity and importance of ultradian rhythms within and between every level of the psychobiological hierarchy. The experimental evidence lies scattered through a disparate litera­ ture, and this volume attempts, albeit in a highly selective manner, to bring together some of the different strands. The editors are very conscious of the omission of many important current aspects; e.g. we have not included any of the fascinating and indeed long­ and well-established experiments with plants (Bunning 1971, 1977; Guillaume and Koukkari 1987; Millet et al. 1988; 10hnsson et al. 1990) that are widely regarded as having initiated the whole field of chronobiology (De Mairan 1729). Neither have we reviewed recent developments on glycolytic oscillations, since a great deal of the seminal work was already completed by 1973 (Chance et al. 1973). Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Front Matter....Pages 1-4 Intracellular Time Keeping: Epigenetic Oscillations Reveal the Functions of an Ultradian Clock....Pages 5-22 Rhythms of Protein Synthesis and Other Circahoralian Oscillations: The Possible Involvement of Fractals....Pages 23-40 A Precise Circadian Clock from Chaotic Cell Cycle Oscillations....Pages 41-69 Oscillations and Cancer....Pages 71-87 Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Ultradian Rhythms in Drosophila ....Pages 89-104 Do Ultradian Oscillators Underlie the Circadian Clock in Drosophila ?....Pages 105-117 Front Matter....Pages 119-121 Endocrine Ultradian Rhythms During Sleep and Wakefulness....Pages 123-138 A Parsimonious Model of Amplitude and Frequency Modulation of Episodic Hormone Secretory Bursts as a Mechanism for Ultradian Signalling by Endocrine Glands....Pages 139-172 Ontogenesis of Human Ultradian Rhythms....Pages 173-196 Phase Plots of Temporal Oscillations....Pages 197-206 Metabolic and Behavioural Long Period Ultradian Rhythms in Endotherms....Pages 207-239 Front Matter....Pages 241-242 Ultradian Behaviour Cycles in Humans: Developmental and Social Aspects....Pages 243-281 Ultradian Cycles in Sleep Propensity: Or, Kleitman’s BRAC Revisited....Pages 283-302 The Basic Rest-Activity Cycle — 32 Years Later: An Interview with Nathaniel Kleitman at 96....Pages 303-306 The Sleep-Wake Threshold in Human Circadian Rhythms as a Determinant of Ultradian Rhythms....Pages 307-322 Reality, Stress and Imagination in Temporal Isolation Experiments: An Interview with Rütger A. Wever....Pages 323-337 Human Biological Rhythms: The Search for Ultradians in Movement Activity Behaviour....Pages 339-370 The Wave Nature of Being: Ultradian Rhythms and Mind-Body Communication....Pages 371-402 Epilogue: The Unification Hypothesis of Chronobiology — Psychobiology from Molecule to Mind....Pages 403-405 Back Matter....Pages 407-419 The text brings together the evidence for the fundamental significance of ultradian rhythms at all levels of organization. In lower eukaryotes short-period rhythms (30-70 min.) are coupled to an ultradian clock which serves as a central time-keeper. In metazoans, similar rhythms are necessary for inter-cell communication, and temporal coupling for the coordination of integrated functions of tissues and organs in order to provide the "homodynamics" of the whole organism. Electrical, endocrine, and behavioral rhythms characterize both wakefulness and sleep, and pathologically disordered states give rise to dynamic diseases. We can now trace a continuum from the molecular genetic, through the cellular and neuroendocrine, to the behavioral and psychosocial levels. Specialist chapters devoted to each of these topics (each with a general introductory section and some speculative discussions) are provided. Many of the results presented are recent and novel, with far-reaching consequences for our understanding of health and diseases It has been determined that electrical, endocrine and behavioural rhythms characterize both wakefulness and sleep, and pathologically disordered interruptions to these rhythms cause dynamic diseases. This text explores the evidence for the significance of ultradian rhythms.