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Sleep physiology and circadian rhythms: pathophysiological mechanisms in common diseases

Guest Editors:

Majid Ghareghani: CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Canada
Birendra Mallick: Amity Institute of Neuropsychology & Neurosciences, India
Simone Russo: Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
Alessandro Viganò: IRCCS Santa Maria Nascente, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Italy


BMC Neurology welcomed submissions to our Collection on the pathophysiological mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythms in relation to the progression of common diseases, the development of neurological disorders, and their influence on the support or deterioration one's mental health.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Majid Ghareghani: CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Canada

Over the course of the last decade, first as an Early-Stage Researcher and then as an Experienced Researcher at Laval University, Canada, Dr Majid Ghareghani worked to further our understanding of the role that circadian rhythm and circadian hormones play in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, his research interests have also led him to investigate the role of monocytes in Alzheimer’s disease. 

Birendra Mallick: Amity Institute of Neuropsychology & Neurosciences, Amity University Campus, India

Professor Mallick, an Indian neurobiologist, is a globally-recognized expert in REM Sleep (REMS). He has consistently published peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and books correlating molecule to behavior in relation to REMS regulation and functions. He has delivered over 200 invited talks at conferences and universities across the globe. His is the most comprehensive neuronal model to understand REMS generation, regulation and termination and has proposed that REMS has evolved in higher species to maintain an optimum level of noradrenaline to protect the brain from oxidative overload. Mallick has mentored many scholars who are established in reputed institutions across the globe; many of them have gone on to continue their sleep-related research and receive awards and recognitions for their work.

Simone Russo: Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, Italy

Dr Simone Russo received his MD and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Milan in the Human Physiology lab led by Prof. Marcello Massimini. His doctoral research focuses on the emergence of sleep-like events during wakefulness after lesions in the thalamocortical system. In 2022, he investigated the fundamental mechanisms of thalamocortical interaction as a visiting scientist in the research group led by Dr Christof Koch at the Allen Institute. Currently, he is further investigating the microcircuit bases of the interactions between thalamus and cortex as a visiting scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology in Stanley Lab.

Alessandro Viganò: IRCCS Santa Maria Nascente, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Italy

Dr Alessandro Viganò received a PhD in Biophysics in 2011 and obtained Board Certification in Neurology in 2018 from the Sapienza University of Rome. From 2010 to 2012, he attended as a research fellow in the Headache Research Unit in Liège (Belgium) under Prof. Jean Schoenen and collaborated with the Coma Science Group led by Prof. Steven Laureys. Since 2017, Viganò has worked in the Human Physiology lab led by Prof. Marcello Massimini in the University of Milan, where he has studied Sleep and Consciousness mechanisms and disorders. He also concomitantly works with the Rehabilitative Neurology ward in Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi as neurologist. 

About the collection

BMC Neurology is calling for submissions to a new Collection on sleep physiology and circadian rhythms. It aims to highlight recent advances to our understanding of sleep and circadian rhythms, especially in the context of disease development and management.

Circadian rhythm, as a controller of the sleep-wake cycle and other biological processes, as well as circadian melatonin and sleep pressure, play vital roles in human health and wellbeing, and disruptions to their stability can contribute to the development of a wide range of diseases and the deterioration of mental health. Understanding the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that link sleep and circadian rhythms to disease development and progression is essential for formulating effective prevention and treatment strategies. 

For example, the identification of specific genetic and epigenetic markers associated with sleep and circadian rhythms could allow for early detection of individuals at risk of developing certain diseases, while the development of targeted therapies that modify circadian rhythms or the production of circadian melatonin could help to prevent or mitigate disease progression. This Collection seeks to highlight innovative new approaches to this sleep-centric method of disease detection, prevention, and treatment.

Topics that will be covered in this Collection include but are not limited to:

•  The role of sleep, circadian rhythms, and sleep-associated melatonin in neurological and metabolic diseases
•  The impact of sleep pressure and local sleep on the pathophysiology of common disorders
•  The relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms, circadian melatonin and mental health disorders
•  Sleep disorders and their impact on the development of common diseases
•  Novel approaches to diagnosing and treating diseases stemming from sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions
•  Sleep in disorders of consciousness


Image credit: gorodenkoff / Getty Images / iStock

  1. Insomnia disorder (ID) seriously affects people’s daily life. Difficulty falling asleep is the most commonly reported complaint in patients with ID. However, the mechanism of prolonged sleep latency (SL) is st...

    Authors: Tongfei Jiang, Xuejiao Yin, Liying Zhu, Weilin Jia, Zhongjian Tan, Bin Li and Jing Guo
    Citation: BMC Neurology 2023 23:430
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Recent evidence suggests that the failure of the glymphatic system – the brain’s waste clearance system, which is active during sleep – plays a key role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Glym...

    Authors: Mariateresa Buongiorno, Esther Granell, Giovanni Caruana, Gemma Sansa, Yolanda Vives-Gilabert, Natalia Cullell, Jessica Molina-Seguin, Marta Almeria, Cristina Artero, Gonzalo Sánchez-Benavides, Nicola J Ray, Sonia A.L. Correa and Jerzy Krupinski
    Citation: BMC Neurology 2023 23:417
    Content type: Case Report Published on:

  3. Sleep difficulties following a cerebrovascular stroke are an interesting topic in the scientific community. Following a brain ischemic insult, a variety of sleep problems can occur.

    Authors: Jaidaa Mekky, Nadia Hafez, Osama El Kholy, Doaa Elsalamawy and Dina Gaber
    Citation: BMC Neurology 2023 23:387
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. The wakefulness-sleep cycle sets the pace of our life. Sleep research examines the transition between wakefulness and sleep, its hormonal regulation, and its pathological disruption. Understanding sleep mechan...

    Authors: Alessandro Viganò, Majid Ghareghani, Birendra Mallick and Simone Russo
    Citation: BMC Neurology 2023 23:283
    Content type: Editorial Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Sleep physiology and circadian rhythms: pathophysiological mechanisms in common diseases" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.