The Effect of Benzodiazepine Forcing on a Model of the Mammalian Circadian Clock

Abstract

This report addresses the effect of benzodiazepines on a model of a circadian network, simulated in Matlab. This simulation includes the introduction of a new equation that takes the effect of this drug on a physiological level into account. We look at how the introduction of this model impacts the period, synchronization index and phase of the output for the model. By comparing the model with the introduction of BZD forcing in the equation to the model without the BZD forcing equation, we can see how it might be translated into a real impact on experimentally tested trials. By working through the components of the model such as how the circadian rhythm is generated, followed by the addition of multicellularity, and finally introducing connectivity between the neurons, we can see how a drug that influences the connectivity would affect the network. Finally, we see how the impact of BZD on the circadian network might have a real world application, where workers on a 2:2:2 schedule might be more easily entrained to different work times. This implication could be useful in a situation where around the clock work is required, and the time at which the worker feels alert needs to be shifted.