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Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders
Wirz-Justice A.. International clinical psychopharmacology, 2006-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
From earliest times, psychiatrists have described biological rhythm disturbances as characteristic of mood disorders. The present flourishing of circadian biology has revealed the molecular basis of 24-h rhythmicity driven by 'clock' genes, as well as the importance of zeitgebers (synchronisers). Winter depression was first modelled on regulation of animal behaviour by seasonal changes in daylength, and led to application of light as the first successful chronobiological treatment in psychiatry. Light therapy has great promise for many other disorders (e.g. sleep-wake cycle disturbances in Alzheimer's dementia, bulimia, premenstrual disorder, depression during pregnancy) and, importantly, as an adjuvant to antidepressant medication in major non-seasonal depression. The pineal hormone melatonin is also a zeitgeber for the human circadian system, in addition to possessing direct sleep-promoting effects. Chronobiology has provided efficacious non-pharmaceutical treatments for mood disorders (such as sleep deprivation or light therapy) as well as novel approaches to new drugs (e.g. agomelatine).
Key findings
- The present flourishing of circadian biology has revealed the molecular basis of 24-h rhythmicity driven by 'clock' genes, as well as the importance of zeitgebers (synchronisers).
Why it matters
This review describes biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders and notes that light therapy has promise for conditions including sleep-wake cycle disturbances in Alzheimer's dementia. It reports no evidence that light therapy treats, cures or prevents Alzheimer's disease itself.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International clinical psychopharmacology) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | International Clinical Psychopharmacology: journal h-index 128 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 356 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.2 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 28 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Anna Wirz‐Justice: h-index 83 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel: institution h-index 198 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16436934) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Wirz-Justice, A. (2006). Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders. International clinical psychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.yic.0000195660.37267.cf
Vancouver
Wirz-Justice A. Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders. International clinical psychopharmacology. 2006. doi:10.1097/01.yic.0000195660.37267.cf. PMID: 16436934.
BibTeX
@article{wirzjustice2006-16436934,
author = {Wirz-Justice, A.},
title = {{Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders}},
journal = {International clinical psychopharmacology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1097/01.yic.0000195660.37267.cf},
pmid = {16436934},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/01.yic.0000195660.37267.cf}
}
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