The “clock” genes regulate our circadian rhythms such as the alternation between sleep and wakefulness, and an alteration in their expression contributes to the onset of typical depression symptoms like insomnia.
Therefore, one of the goals of the DeprAir project is to study the expression of these genes in relation to exposure to air pollution. In this article, our research group investigated how air pollution may alter the expression of “clock” genes and potentially affect appetite regulation in 200 overweight or obese women.
In this study, both particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) and fine particles with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) were shown to be associated with changes in the expression of “clock” genes, thus been linked to sleep and appetite disturbances observed in overweight individuals (who are also a vulnerable population for the development of mood disorders).