Erik Herzog

Associate Professor, Department of Biology

Office Contact Information

Office

Monsanto Room 204

Mailbox

Washington University in St. Louis
Campus Box 1037
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

Phone

(314) 935-8635

herzog@biology2.wustl.edu

Laboratory Website

http://www.biology.wustl.edu/faculty/herzog/

Research Interests

Biological clocks that drive near 24-hour rhythms in behavior and physiology have been found in a wide variety of organisms and cell types. The Herzog Lab studies the cellular and molecular basis of these circadian rhythms in mammals using techniques that include planar electrode arrays, cellular imaging and genetic manipulations (i.e. mutants, knockouts, and transgenics). This approach is producing insight into the roles of specific molecules, cells, and tissues in the rich repertoire of daily behaviors. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalmus is the master circadian pacemaker. This brain region continues to keep daily time when cultured. We are now asking which cells generate this rhymicity, how do they synchronize to one another, and what makes them unique in their ability to keep time?

Photo caption: Neurons from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) express near 24-hour ("circadian") rhythms in electrical activity in culture. Firing rate rises during the day and falls at night for these two SCN cells despite being maintained in vitro without any temporal cues.

Selected Publications

Aton SJ, Block GD, Tei H, Yamazaki S, Herzog ED (2004) Plasticity of circadian behavior and the suprachiasmatic nucleus following exposure to non-24-hour light cycles. J Biol Rhythms. Jun;19(3):198-207.

Hastings MH, Herzog ED. (2004) Clock genes, oscillators, and cellular networks in the suprachiasmatic nuclei. J Biol Rhythms. Oct;19(5):400-13.

Prolo LM, Takahashi JS, Herzog ED. (2005) Circadian rhythm generation and entrainment in astrocytes. J Neurosci. Jan 12;25(2):404-8.

Aton SJ, Colwell CS, Harmar AJ, Waschek J, Herzog ED. (2005) Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide mediates circadian rhythmicity and synchrony in mammalian clock neurons. Nat Neurosci. Apr;8(4):476-83.

Abraham U, Prior JL, Granados-Fuentes D, Piwnica-Worms DR, Herzog ED. (2005) Independent circadian oscillations of Period1 in specific brain areas in vivo and in vitro. J Neurosci. Sep 21;25(38):8620-6.

Aton SJ, Herzog ED. (2005) Come together, right...now: synchronization of rhythms in a mammalian circadian clock. Neuron. Nov 23;48(4):531-4.

Herzog ED, Muglia LJ. (2006) You are when you eat. Nat Neurosci. Mar;9(3):300-2.