Stuck in summer

When the brain’s internal calendar gets stuck in ‘summer mode’, it can prevent winter blues.

The brain’s master daily clock also serves as an annual calendar. The proteins expressed in the master clock change with the seasons, as illustrated in the left versus right panel of this image. Image credit: Harshida Pancholi and Jennifer Evans (CC BY 4.0)

In winter, as the days become shorter, millions of people find that their mood and energy levels start to drop. They crave carbohydrates, struggle with their weight, and find it harder to get out of bed in the mornings. These individuals are suffering from the ‘winter blues’ or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and most find that their symptoms spontaneously improve in the spring when the days become longer again. Many also benefit from bright light therapy during the winter months, but not everyone responds fully to this treatment, so additional options are needed.

The winter blues occur when the brain adjusts to changes in day length with the onset of winter. The brain region responsible for making this adjustment is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is the master clock of the brain that coordinates the body’s circadian rhythms – the daily fluctuations in things like appetite, body temperature, sleep and wakefulness.

But as well as being the brain’s clock, the SCN is also the brain’s calendar. In winter, when the days are short, SCN neurons coordinate their activity and fire in synchrony. But in summer, when the days are long, SCN neurons divide into two clusters, which fire at different times. By transitioning between these two states, the SCN helps the body adjust to seasonal changes in day length. Rohr, Pancholi et al. now provide new insight into the mechanism behind this process by showing that light alters the neurochemistry of the SCN.

Exposing mice to long days causes a brain chemical called GABA to switch from inhibiting neurons in the SCN to activating them. Blocking this switch from inhibition to activation locks the SCN into its 'summer state'. Rohr, Pancholi et al. propose that this failure to transition to the winter state may be an interesting way to prevent the winter blues.

While much remains to be learned about this process, these findings pave the way for better understanding the neurobiology of winter depression and how best to treat it.