Clock excitability, circadian rhythms and healthy ageing

The CircadiAgeing project explores how disruptions in circadian rhythms, the natural 24-hour cycles of physiological and behavioural patterns, contribute to ageing and related health issues.

Our research Meet the team

Circadian rhythms become weaker as we age leading to poorer sleep and contributing to diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. This BBSRC strategic larger and longer grant marks a major investment of UKRI supporting researchers at Bristol, Exeter, Imperial, Kings and Manchester to investigate exactly how ageing affects circadian rhythms.

Professor James Hodge

School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

Focusing on both the well-known molecular aspects and the less understood membrane-based mechanisms that reflect daily changes in cell excitability, this crucial project aims to uncover how these clocks weaken synergistically with age, impacting our overall health.

Using interdisciplinary methods including cutting-edge genetic analysis and computational biology, the research team hopes to develop interventions that could restore the robustness of these biological clocks, promoting healthier ageing and potentially reducing age-related disorders.

News and events

Dementia and Brain Health event

3rd June 2025 | Events

Alzheimer’s Research UK Southwest and University of Bristol Dementia Research theme are hosting an event.