Functional associations between biological clock systems and sleep homeostasis

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Little is known about the pathophysiology of drifting sleep patterns in circadian rhythm sleep disorder, free-running type (FRT). This is the first report that successfully detected a prolonged circadian rhythm period (τ) in sighted patients with FRT compared to controls with normal sleep habits using a 7-day, 28-h forced desynchrony protocol. As the prolonged τ was also observed in a subset of night owl people, the pathophysiology of FRT is not only explained by the abnormal τ, thus pointing out the multilayered nature of FRT.