Eat/Sleep Cluster
What to seek
Within this cluster, eating behaviour and sleep are considered. They are perhaps the most ‘biological’ behaviours within the TAND Checklist. The resources and information provided here are unique to each behaviour; there is no overlap between resources recommended for eating behaviour and those recommended for sleep. Click below for targeted ‘What to Seek’ information on eating behaviour and sleep.
Circadian rhythm and the mTOR pathway
In humans, our bodies are internally regulated according to the 24-hour clock, known as a circadian rhythm. Our body’s ability to follow this 24-hour cycle is regulated by environmental signals (e.g. light and dark are signals to the body of when to sleep). Sleep and hunger are bodily processes that follow a circadian rhythm. Changes to the TSC1/TSC2 complex leads to dysregulation within the mTOR pathway. This genetic change results in accelerated cell growth and the characteristic presentation of tumours associated with TSC. However, the mTOR pathway also regulates cell processes involved in the regulation of food uptake and sleep. Overactivation of the mTOR pathway can lead to acceleration of cellular clocks that can disrupt ‘typical’ 24-hour cycles of eating behaviour and sleep. The role of the mTOR pathway in the regulation of circadian rhythms explains why dysregulated eating behaviour and poor sleep occur in some individuals with TSC.
