Your thyroid has its own body clock, even if the brain's clock is broken
The Circadian Clock Is Sustained in the Thyroid Gland of VIP Receptor 2 Deficient Mice
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The thyroid maintains circadian gene rhythms even when the brain’s master clock is desynchronized due to lack of VIP/VPAC2 signaling.
It was previously assumed that most peripheral clocks rely heavily on the SCN for synchronization. This shows the thyroid clock is remarkably autonomous.
Practical Takeaways
If you're on thyroid medication, consistency in timing matters more than chasing a 'perfect' time of day—since T4 levels don’t fluctuate much naturally.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The thyroid maintains circadian gene rhythms even when the brain’s master clock is desynchronized due to lack of VIP/VPAC2 signaling.
It was previously assumed that most peripheral clocks rely heavily on the SCN for synchronization. This shows the thyroid clock is remarkably autonomous.
Practical Takeaways
If you're on thyroid medication, consistency in timing matters more than chasing a 'perfect' time of day—since T4 levels don’t fluctuate much naturally.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Endocrinology
Year
2021
Authors
B. Georg, J. Fahrenkrug, H. L. Jørgensen, J. Hannibal
Related Content
Claims (6)
Your thyroid helps control your body's daily rhythms and hormone activity by listening to your brain and telling other hormone glands what to do.
Mice that are missing a certain brain signaling system have their daily body clock in the thyroid gland running about 5 hours earlier than normal mice — this suggests that the signaling system helps set the clock in that organ.
Even when the brain's main body clock loses its rhythm, the thyroid gland in mice can still keep its own daily rhythm going — suggesting it doesn’t completely depend on signals from the brain’s clock center.
Mice that are missing a certain brain signaling system have weaker daily rhythms in their thyroid gland, which suggests this system helps keep the body's internal clock running strongly in that organ.
In mice, a clock-related protein in certain hormone cells turns on at night, and this timing shifts when a specific receptor is missing — meaning the body might fine-tune its internal clock after genes are read.