In this episode of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, recorded at the European Biological Rhythms Society Congress in Lubeck, Germany, we are joined by Professor Rae Silver from Columbia University. Professor Silver is an iconic figure in circadian biology whose foundational research helped characterize the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)—the brain's master circadian clock.
We explore Professor Silver’s scientific journey, beginning with her early fascination with the perfectly timed, shared parental behaviors of doves and pigeons. The conversation highlights how this curiosity eventually led to her groundbreaking SCN transplant experiments in hamsters. By transplanting the clock of a "fast-running" donor into a "slow-running" host, her work definitively proved that the SCN controls circadian behavior. We dive into her revolutionary discovery that the SCN communicates its timing not just through neural synapses or "roads," but through "rivers and oceans"—secreting diffusible signals into the cerebrospinal fluid via a specialized portal blood vessel system.
The discussion moves toward the profound clinical implications of this fluid communication network, including its connection to the brain's glymphatic system, waste clearance during sleep, and neurovascular diseases like Alzheimer's. We also touch upon the exciting future of the field, from the power of chronotherapy in optimizing cancer treatments to the massive economic and health benefits of lifestyle interventions like time-restricted eating and light management to combat diabetes. Finally, Professor Silver shares invaluable career advice for young scientists about balancing high-risk experiments with reliable projects, and the importance of cultivating a lifelong passion outside of the lab.
Please join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or subscribe. Thanks for listening.
Guest:
Professor Rae Silver, Columbia University
Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor of Natural & Physical Sciences
Chair of the Neuroscience Program
https://psychology.columbia.edu/content/rae-silver
Host:
Dr. Satchin Panda
X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda
https://x.com/SatchinPanda
Instagram: @satchin.panda https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/
Links:
Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/
Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/
More science: https://mycircadianclock.org/
