Our research aims to illuminate causal or pleiotropic biological pathways shared between sleep and circadian traits and disease outcomes. We examine bidirectional causal relationships between sleep and neurological and cardiometabolic disease. Identifying causal relationships using Mendelian randomization will help to define the clinical domains to which sleep and circadian interventions might be targeted, informing and focusing future clinical trial efforts of collaborators and the larger community. We also aim to enhance longitudinal real-time digital phenotyping of sleep and biological rhythms (e.g. activity, food intake) in healthy and diseased populations in order to better define causes and consequences of sleep and circadian disturbances. Finally, investigation of mechanistic studies of specific pleiotropic genes will further clarify biological links.
Links to Cardiometabolic Disease
- What are the molecular links between circadian rhythms and metabolism?
- How does insomnia contribute to development of cardio-metabolic disease?
- How does the MTNR1B diabetes risk gene link circadian rhythms to type 2 diabetes?
