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chronobiology Chronobiology is a field of biology that examines timing processes, including periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms, such as their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. Chronob ...
, an ultradian rhythm is a recurrent period or cycle repeated throughout a 24-hour day. In contrast,
circadian rhythm A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...
s complete one cycle daily, while
infradian rhythm In chronobiology, an infradian rhythm is a rhythm with a period longer than the period of a circadian rhythm, i.e., with a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours. Some examples of infradian rhythms in mammals include menstruation, breeding, m ...
s such as the human menstrual cycle have periods longer than a day. The '' Oxford English Dictionary's'' definition of ''Ultradian'' specifies that it refers to cycles with a period shorter than a day but longer than an hour. The descriptive term ultradian is used in
sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...
research in reference to the 90–120 minute cycling of the sleep stages during human sleep. There is a
circasemidian rhythm In chronobiology, a circasemidian rhythm is a physiological arousal cycle that peaks twice in a 24-hour day. It may also be called the semicircadian rhythm . Numerous studies have demonstrated that human circadian rhythms in many measures of perform ...
in body temperature and cognitive function which is technically ultradian. However, this appears to be the first
harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the '' fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...
of the circadian rhythm of each and not an endogenous rhythm with its own rhythm generator. Other ultradian rhythms include
blood circulation The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, t ...
,
blinking Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral portio ...
, pulse, hormonal secretions such as growth hormone, heart rate, thermoregulation, micturition,
bowel The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
activity, nostril dilation,
appetite Appetite is the desire to eat food items, usually due to hunger. Appealing foods can stimulate appetite even when hunger is absent, although appetite can be greatly reduced by satiety. Appetite exists in all higher life-forms, and serves to regul ...
, and
arousal Arousal is the physiological and psychological state of being awoken or of sense organs stimulated to a point of perception. It involves activation of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) in the brain, which mediates wakefulness, th ...
. Ultradian rhythms of appetite require antiphasic release of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), stimulating and inhibiting appetite ultradian rhythms. Recently, ultradian rhythms of arousal lasting approximately 4 hours were attributed to the dopaminergic system in mammals. When the dopaminergic system is perturbed either by use of drugs or by genetic disruption, these 4-hour rhythms can lengthen significantly into the infradian (> 24 h) range, sometimes even lasting for days (> 110 h) when methamphetamines are provided. Ultradian mood states in
bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
cycle much faster than rapid cycling; the latter is defined as four or more mood episodes in one year, sometimes occurring within a few weeks. Ultradian mood cycling is characterized by cycles shorter than 24 hours.


See also

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Basic rest-activity cycle BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College i ...


References

{{Reflist Chronobiology Neurochemistry Sleep physiology