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Review
. 2022 May 16;41(1):22.
doi: 10.1186/s40101-022-00294-0.

Development of the circadian system in early life: maternal and environmental factors

Sachi D Wong  1 , Kenneth P Wright Jr  1 , Robert L Spencer  2 , Céline Vetter  1 , Laurel M Hicks  3 , Oskar G Jenni  4 , Monique K LeBourgeois  5
Affiliations
Review

Development of the circadian system in early life: maternal and environmental factors

Sachi D Wong et al. J Physiol Anthropol. .

Abstract

In humans, an adaptable internal biological system generates circadian rhythms that maintain synchronicity of behavior and physiology with the changing demands of the 24-h environment. Development of the circadian system begins in utero and continues throughout the first few years of life. Maturation of the clock can be measured through sleep/wake patterns and hormone secretion. Circadian rhythms, by definition, can persist in the absence of environmental input; however, their ability to adjust to external time cues is vital for adaptation and entrainment to the environment. The significance of these external factors that influence the emergence of a stable circadian clock in the first years of life remain poorly understood. Infants raised in our post-modern world face adverse external circadian signals, such as artificial light and mistimed hormonal cues via breast milk, which may increase interference with the physiological mechanisms that promote circadian synchronization. This review describes the very early developmental stages of the clock and common circadian misalignment scenarios that make the developing circadian system more susceptible to conflicting time cues and temporal disorder between the maternal, fetal, infant, and peripheral clocks.

Keywords: Circadian; Circadian rhythm; Cortisol; Development; Fetus; Light; Melatonin; Neonate; Rest-activity; Sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

MKL reports receiving travel funds from the Australian Research Council and research support from the National Institutes of Health, beyond the submitted work. KPW reports research support/donated materials: DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, Grain Processing Corporation, and Friesland Campina Innovation Centre, and being a consultant to and/or receiving personal fees from Circadian Therapeutics, Inc., Circadian Biotherapies, Inc., Philips, Inc, and U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, outside the submitted work. CV reports being a consultant NIHM and having received research support from the National Institutes of Health outside the submitted work. RLS, SDW, and LMH declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Model for circadian system development
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Development of rest-activity patterns in infants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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