Disruptions to the circadian rhythm are associated with immune diseases like multiple sclerosis, although in ways not fully understood and, a study suggests, may affect response to treatment, according to Multiple Sclerosis News Today.

A natural 24-hour cycle that exists in every animal and plant, the circadian rhythm is known to regulate all physiological processes. Maintaining a healthy body clock is increasingly recognized as a key step for good health, and studies have shown that people with a disrupted internal clock — such as night-shift workers — have a higher incidence of diseases like MS.

Researchers at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Dublin, and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) used a mouse model of human MS — the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model – and showed that the time-of-day regulates the activation of several of the animals’ immune cells.