Task variables determine which biological clock controls circadian rhythms in human performance

Abstract

There are circadian (approximately 24 h) rhythms for a wide range of human physiological and psychological functions including mood and performance efficiency. These rhythms are self-sustaining in conditions of temporal isolation, indicating that internal oscillators (or biological clocks) control them. Recent research has proposed an endogenous two-oscillator model of the human circadian system, with one oscillator indicated by the core body temperature rhythm and a second oscillator responsible for the daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness. The present study was designed to produce a desynchronization in period between the two oscillators, to assess directly the behaviour of the rhythms of different performance tasks. The results, reported here, indicate that a simple manual dexterity task is almost entirely under the control of the temperature rhythm oscillator, whereas a more complex cognitive task demonstrates a periodicity which appears to be influenced by those oscillators controlling temperature and the sleep/wake cycle.