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Clocks & Sleep
Special Issues
The Circadian Rhythm Research in Infants and Young Children
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The Circadian Rhythm Research in Infants and Young Children

A special issue of Clocks & Sleep (ISSN 2624-5175). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Basic Research & Neuroimaging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 4210

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Teruhisa Miike

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Child Development, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
Interests: sleep–wake rhythms; infancy; circadian rhythm biological clock

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The human circadian rhythm biological clock (CRBC) center, formed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, has important functions that control not only sleep–wake rhythms but also so-called life-support systems (e.g., the autonomic nervous system, hormone secretion, and thermoregulation). It is reported that its development begins during fetal life and is almost complete by the age of infancy to early childhood. The formation of the CRBC during fetal life is influenced by the daily rhythm of the mother during pregnancy, and after birth, the daily rhythm of the child is deeply involved in the formation of the CRBC as a basis. Furthermore, it is known that the completed circadian rhythm affects the maintenance of human mental/physical health almost throughout one’s life. Therefore, the formation of an appropriate CRBC from fetal life to infancy is extremely important for mental/physical health and happiness throughout one’s life. With this as a background, we have planned this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Teruhisa Miike
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clocks & Sleep is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circadian rhythm biological clock
  • sleep–wake rhythms
  • fetus
  • pregnant mother
  • suprachiasmatic nucleus
  • infancy
  • early childhood

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2010 KiB  
Article
Feasibility of an At-Home Experimental Circadian Misalignment Induction for Adolescents
by Dean W. Beebe, Andrea L. Fidler, Laura McLaughlin, Sabrina Grove and Stephanie J. Crowley
Clocks & Sleep 2025, 7(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010004 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1152
Abstract
Despite extensive research on the effects of sleep restriction on adolescent health, the field lacks experimental methods to study the health effects of mistimed sleep, which is also common among adolescents. This paper describes a novel 3-week experimental protocol that was designed to [...] Read more.
Despite extensive research on the effects of sleep restriction on adolescent health, the field lacks experimental methods to study the health effects of mistimed sleep, which is also common among adolescents. This paper describes a novel 3-week experimental protocol that was designed to compare sleep restriction, like what many adolescents experience on school nights, against sleep that meets the recommended duration but is timed to be relatively aligned or misaligned with their circadian phase. Healthy 14–18-year-olds, classified as early (“Lark”) and late (“Owl”) chronotypes, entered a six-night chronotype-aligned stabilization condition, followed by five nights of sleep restriction, a return to the stabilization schedule, and five nights of healthy sleep duration (HS). During HS, participants were randomly assigned to early-to-bed versus late-to-rise arms, intended to align with or misalign with their circadian phase. Actigraphy monitored sleep, and weekly dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) assessed circadian phase. Analyses confirmed that the protocol met five key validation metrics related to differential attrition, sleep timing, circadian phase, and experimental induction of HS that is timed to be relatively aligned vs. misaligned with circadian phase. This protocol appears useful for future research into how misaligned sleep patterns, which occur regularly for many adolescents, may impact health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Circadian Rhythm Research in Infants and Young Children)
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13 pages, 1421 KiB  
Article
Sex Differences in Sleep and Physical Activity Patterns in Autism Spectrum Disorder
by Véronique-Aurélie Bricout, Sandro Covain, Jacob Paterno and Michel Guinot
Clocks & Sleep 2024, 6(4), 764-776; https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep6040049 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1343
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) programs have been found to result in improved sleep in males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about the female characteristics. The aim of this work was to assess sex differences in sleep and PA indices using [...] Read more.
Physical activity (PA) programs have been found to result in improved sleep in males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about the female characteristics. The aim of this work was to assess sex differences in sleep and PA indices using an accelerometer over 7 days and 7 nights. Sleep and PA variables were measured with questionnaires and with accelerometry in twenty-four children with ASD (16 boys, 10.3 ± 2.8; 8 girls, 11.1 ± 3.9). Some significant differences were reported between girls and boys. The total time in bed and wake time after sleep onset (WASO) were significantly higher in girls compared to boys (p < 0.01), whereas sleep efficiency was significantly lower in girls (p < 0.01). The results obtained from the sleep questionnaire (CSHQ) show averages above the threshold of 41 in both groups (the threshold indicates the presence of sleep disorders or low sleep quality). The number of daily steps was significantly lower in the girls’ group (p < 0.01), and the PA volume for vigorous and strong vigorous intensities was significantly higher in the boys’ group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). Our results show major alterations in girls, with a low level of PA and sleep alteration. PA is a relevant non-pharmacological approach to improve sleep quality and achieve sufficient sleep duration. However, particularly for girls with ASD, more personalized approaches to improve sleep may be needed to manage specific associated disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Circadian Rhythm Research in Infants and Young Children)
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8 pages, 220 KiB  
Communication
Are the Sleep–Wake Cycle and Sleep Duration Ethnically Determined? A Comparison of Tibetan and Japanese Children’s Sleep
by Ping Su, Masako Taniike, Yuko Ohno and Ikuko Mohri
Clocks & Sleep 2024, 6(4), 682-689; https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep6040046 - 12 Nov 2024
Viewed by 994
Abstract
Background: Several environmental factors affect sleep. We investigated the sleep and sleep-related habits of preschool children living in Tibet and conducted an international comparison with those in Japan. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study using the Chinese version of the Japanese Sleep [...] Read more.
Background: Several environmental factors affect sleep. We investigated the sleep and sleep-related habits of preschool children living in Tibet and conducted an international comparison with those in Japan. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study using the Chinese version of the Japanese Sleep Questionnaire for Preschoolers (JSQ-P-C) and compared the results with previous data on Japanese children. Results: The sleep status of 3113 children aged 3–6 years old in Qinghai province was evaluated. The average wake time and bedtime of the Tibetan children were 7:20 ± 0:31 and 21:16 ± 0:43, respectively. Their mean nocturnal sleep duration was 10.0 ± 0.7 h. In comparing 3-year-old children, the time for which they viewed TV in Tibet was shorter (65.5 ± 44.6 min) than that in Japan (149.7 ± 76.6 min), and the mother’s bedtime was earlier in Tibet (21:28 ± 2:14) than in Japan (23:20 ± 1:05). However, the bedtime and sleep duration of the Tibetan children (21:17 ± 0:37 and 10.0 ± 0.7 h) were fairly similar to those of the Japanese children (21:24 ± 1:57 and 9.8 ± 0.8 h). Conclusions: The late bedtime and short nocturnal sleep duration of Tibetan toddlers were the same as those of Japanese toddlers despite considerable differences in their lifestyle and environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Circadian Rhythm Research in Infants and Young Children)
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