Normal peripheral circadian phase in the old-old with abnormal circadian behavior.

Almost all organisms maintain a circadian clock from birth to death to synchronize their own physiology and behavior with the earth's rotation. However, extensive studies based on animal experiments have showed that aging results in circadian dysfunction. Human studies have also indicated age-associated abnormal phase, reduced amplitude and enhanced fragmentation in circadian physiology and behavior, thereby strongly implying age-related dysfunction of the clock machinery. Here, we carried out functional assessment of the circadian clock machinery in elderly patients aged 83-94 with severe dementia who showed abnormal circadian behavior. To investigate whether or not the systemic pathway from the circadian input to peripheral clocks functioned normally, the circadian phase in peripheral clock gene expression rhythms was evaluated using plucked hair tissues. Unexpectedly, the phase in all volunteer patients was within a range similar to that of healthy subjects. The circadian pathway from external inputs to peripheral clocks may therefore function normally, even in the old-old with severe dementia.