Analysis of Circadian Neuro-Networks in Mouse Brains

While the circadian rhythm has been extensively studied in many organisms, the specific cell-to-cell communication that confers this rhythm is not as well understood, especially in the brain. Despite a significant amount of data, circadian neural cell networks have not yet been mapped, primarily due to a gap in neurological knowledge. In this study, we have begun analyzing the patterns of individual cells from mouse brains, specifically cells in the suprachiastmatic nucleus, observing how activity levels in individual cells change over several days after a given treatment. Using computational tools to study the phase velocity and peaks and troughs of per gene expression in the cells, we have visualized and studied the data in various ways in an attempt to better understand how the cells communicate with each other and thus form these advanced networks. These visualizations and analyses have provided insight into some of the basic ways neural cells form a network by illuminating the relative significance that certain key cells play in the system as a whole.