Fred W Turek

Professor, Neurobiology
Professor, Neurology
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences PhD Program
Medical Scientist Training Program
Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience PhD Program (NUIN)
URIC Director, CSCB - Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology

Phone847/467-6512
Emailfturek@northwestern.edu

20480 Citations

Research output per year

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Personal profile

Research Interests

Research in the Turek laboratory is focused on the study of sleep and circadian rhythms, with special interest in identifying genes that regulate sleep and circadian rhythms. Ongoing work on sleep and circadian rhythms includes an investigation of: (1) the neurochemical, molecular, and cellular events involved in the entrainment, generation and expression of circadian rhythms arising from a central biological clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, (2) the genetics of the circadian clock system and the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the sleep-wake cycle, (3) the feedback effects of the sleep-wake cycle on the circadian clock regulating the timing of that cycle, (4) the effects of advanced age on the expression of behavioral and endocrine rhythms, and on the expression of circadian clock genes, 5) the links between sleep, circadian rhythms and energy metabolism, (6) the role of melatonin in modulating sleep and circadian rhythms, (7) the role of disrupted circadian rhythms on peripheral and central disease/disorders, and (8) the effects of stress, circadian dysregulation and sleep loss/fragmentation on the intestinal microbiota, including studies of twin men and mice on the International Space Station.

In addition to the work on rodents, his lab have established extensive collaborations with clinical researchers. Studies in humans are aimed at shifting the human clock in an attempt to alleviate mental and physical problems that are associated with disorders in circadian time-keeping, particularly in the elderly and in shift-workers. In addition, they are using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to determine if they can reverse the effects of aging on the circadian clock system in both rodents and humans. Their sleep, circadian and metabolic studies are focused on how disruption in these interactions can lead to obesity, diabetes CVD, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Education/Academic qualification

Biological Sciences, PhD, Stanford University

… → 1973

Biology, BS, Michigan State University

… → 1969

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Grants

6 Active
43 Finished

Training Grant in Circadian and Sleep Research

Turek, F. W., Vitaterna, M. H. & Zee, P. C.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

3/1/20 → 2/28/25

Project: Research project

Alterations of Sleep and Circadian Timing in Aging

Abbott, S. M., Allada, R., Bass, J., Bien, C., Braun, R. I., Grimaldi, D., Hong, H., Jiang, P., Ramsey, K. M., Reid, K. J., Spring, B., Turek, F. W., Vitaterna, M. H. & Zee, P. C.

National Institute on Aging

9/15/17 → 5/31/22

Project: Research project

Project 3 - Turek

Turek, F. W. & Zee, P. C.

National Institute on Aging

9/15/17 → 5/31/22

Project: Research project

Integration of Feeding Time and Glucose Metabolism by the Circadian Gene Network

Bass, J., Ramsey, K. M. & Turek, F. W.

National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases

6/1/16 → 3/31/21

Project: Research project

The microbiome and responsiveness to stress: Countermeasure strategies for improving resilience to sleep and circadian disruption.

Jiang, P., Turek, F. W. & Vitaterna, M. H.

University of Colorado, Office of Naval Research

9/1/15 → 8/31/20

Project: Research project

Research Output

Repeated sleep disruption in mice leads to persistent shifts in the fecal microbiome and metabolome

Bowers, S. J., Vargas, F., González, A., He, S., Jiang, P., Dorrestein, P. C., Knight, R., Wright, K. P., Lowry, C. A., Fleshner, M., Vitaterna, M. H. & Turek, F. W., Jan 1 2020, In : PloS one. 15, 2, e0229001.