CORE--CHRONOBIOLOGY LABORATORY

时间生物学核心是由压倒一切的假设， 老年心境障碍的发病、病程和结局与 各种状态和特质变量，可以通过一些相同的 用于检查睡眠和生物节律的技术和方法 在健康受试者中。通过评估这些变量之前和期间， 治疗过程，并将其与临床措施相关联， 假设可以尽可能地获得更好的理解 各种治疗方式的作用机制，以及潜在的 晚年易感性和恢复的生理学预测因素 萧条核心将执行自然界的科学任务， 通过检验关于结果、机制和 老年情感障碍的治疗。结果。生理 包括清醒定量脑电图（qEEG）和24小时性激素 我们的核心将进行调查，以确定他们是否可以预测 发生率以及临床恢复时间。两个基线 纵向评估将与来自以下方面的相应数据相结合： 评估是否存在qEEG或性激素的其他CRC核心 结果的相关性，如痴呆，残疾，慢性， 复发或死亡。机制等时间生物学核心将 描述健康老年人昼夜节律的年龄相关变化 个体这些努力将为阐明 参与增加老年人脆弱性的假定机制 情绪障碍治疗通过继续测试关于 电休克治疗的时间生物学效应，并将这些 时间生物学核心旨在进一步提高 了解时间生物学原理是如何调节这一点的 老年抑郁症的治疗，也许还能概述其他方法， 哪些时间生物学原理可以增强老年人的治疗 萧条测量qEEG、性激素水平和昼夜节律 变量为CRC增加了独特的科学维度。整合 这些数据与病理生理学、心理社会学 临床精神药理学核心预计将产生额外的 可测试的概念，以促进我们对病因学的理解， 老年人情绪障碍的治疗

The Chronobiology Core is guided by the overriding hypothesis that the onset, course and outcome of geriatric mood disorders are associated with various state and trait variables that can be measured by some of the same techniques and methodologies used to examine sleep and biological rhythms in healthy subjects. By assessing these variables prior to and during the course of treatment, and relating them to clinical measures, it is hypothesized that a better understanding can be gained as possible mechanisms of action of various treatment modalities, as well as potential physiological predictors of susceptibility to and recovery from late-life depression. The Core will carry out the scientific mandate of the nature CRC by testing specific hypotheses concerning outcomes, mechanisms, and treatment of geriatric affective disorders. Outcomes. Physiological measures, including waking quantitative EEG (qEEG) and 24-hour sex hormone levels, will be investigated by our Core to determine if they can predict the occurrence of, as well as the time to clinical recovery. Both baseline and longitudinal assessments will be combined with corresponding data from other CRC Cores to evaluate whether there are qEEG or sex hormone correlates of outcomes such as dementia, disability, chronicity, recurrence relapse, or mortality. Mechanisms. The Chronobiology Core will characterize age-related changes in circadian rhythmicity in healthy older individuals. These efforts will lay the groundwork for elucidating putative mechanisms involved in increasing the vulnerability to geriatric mood disorders. Treatment. By continuing to test hypothesis concerning the chronobiological effects of electroconvulsive therapy, and relating these effects to treatment efficacy, the Chronobiology Core seeks to further the understanding of how chronobiological principles may mediate this treatment of geriatric depression, and perhaps outline other means by which chronobiological principles may enhance treatments of geriatric depression. Measurement of qEEG, sex hormone levels, and circadian rhythm variables add a unique scientific dimension to this CRC. The integration of these data with services provided by the Pathophysiology, Psychosocial and Clinical Psychopharmacology Cores is expected to generate additional testable concepts to facilitate our understanding of the etiology and treatment of geriatric mood disorders.