Functional associations between biological clock systems and sleep homeostasis

关于自由奔跑型昼夜节律睡眠障碍（FRT）中漂移睡眠模式的病理生理学知之甚少。这是第一份使用7天28小时强迫睡眠方案成功检测到FRT视力正常患者与正常睡眠习惯对照组相比昼夜节律周期（τ）延长的报告。由于在夜猫子人群中也观察到τ延长，因此FRT的病理生理学不仅可以通过τ异常来解释，从而指出FRT的多层性质。

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.