TY - JOUR AU - Larson-Prior, Linda J. AU - Azhar, Gohar AU - Davila, David G. AU - Jun, Se-Ran AU - Kemp, Aaron S. AU - Nookaew, Intawat AU - Wei, Jeanne Y. AU - Wassenaar, Trudy M. PY - 2017 DA - 2017/04/12 TI - Neurobiology of Sleep and Microbiomics in Aging JO - OBM Neurobiology SP - 003 VL - 01 IS - 02 AB - (1) Background: The daily rhythms of life on earth are governed by a central clock located in the hypothalamus and entrained primarily by light. By virtue of its connections to a myriad of other clocks located both in the brain and in peripheral organs and cells, this clock provides a timing signal based on the light/dark cycle by which organismal physiology and behaviour are governed. Disturbances of these natural rhythms have multiple downstream effects, frequently resulting in dysregulations of sleep and wake cycles, energy homeostatic signalling and decreased stability of the gut microbiome. With increasing age, changes in these natural rhythms are common, and distinguishing changes associated with healthy aging from those associated with pathological aging is an important and growing avenue of investigation in which the recognition of the interdependence of these systems is critical. (2) Aims: In this review, we focus on the importance of better understanding the integration of these signals and their physiological and behavioural outputs in an aging population in which sleep durations are frequently shortened and dietary choices highly varied and frequently nutritionally poor. (3) Conclusions: The gut-brain-microbiome axis is a critical regulator of health across the lifespan such that dysregulation at any point along this axis impacts organismal function. As yet, the impact of age alone on this system is not fully understood. However, it is clear that age-related dysfunctions including the development of frailty and the increased risk for neurological disease are intertwined with the health of the gut-brain-microbiome axis. SN - 2573-4407 UR - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1702003 DO - 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1702003 ID - Larson-Prior2017 ER -