On August 9, 2021, Rae Silver, Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor of Natural & Physical Sciences, published an editorial in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, titled “ Development of Circadian Clock Functions,” alongside Columbia Psychology professor Jeff R. Jones, and Jihwan Myung, Takahiro J. Nakamura, and Daisuke Ono. The editorial investigates the circadian clock, which plays a crucial role in regulating key bodily functions, like body temperature and sleep. The authors also examine how the clock evolves throughout our lives.
Investigating the transcriptional-transcriptional feedback loop, or TTFL, the cell feedback loop powering the circadian clock, Professor Silver and her co-authors examined the clock’s development in human embryos. With this research, Professor Silver et. al. explain that while the TTFL develops largely during the embryonic stage, it matures after birth, which may have significant implications for further research on the development of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units.