2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Elucidation of chronification mechanism and critical period of chronic fatigue and development anti-fatigue health promoting strategy

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	17H02172
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Applied health science
Research Institution	Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
Principal Investigator	CUI Yilong 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命機能科学研究センター, チームリーダー (60312229)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	鈴木治和国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命医科学研究センター, チームリーダー (80333293)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Keywords	恒常性 / 慢性疲労 / ストレス
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Deviation from internal optimum state is known to suppress functional performance and repeated or prolonged disruption of homeostatic functions could sustain such individual fatigue state. In the present study, we developed a unique fatigue animal model in which repeated short-term rest periods during the long-lasting fatigue loading were utilized for gradual disruption of homeostatic function and accumulation of fatigue. Using this animal model, we demonstrated that the sleep- and thermoregulatory functions adaptively changed in the early phase, but disrupted by long-lasting fatigue loading. Especially, we found that the autonomic heat dissipation appeared at a lower body temperature rather than a higher body temperature in the late phase, indicating thermoregulatory dysfunction. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that plasma level of some inflammatory cytokine, such as IL-1β, and autoimmune disease related gene expression increased in the late phase of fatigue loading.
Free Research Field	脳科学、健康科学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	疲労は日常的に誰もが経験する主観的な感覚で、通常は生体内の恒常性維持機構の活性化によって適切な休息や睡眠をとることで解消される。一方では、恒常性維持機構の機能異常は疲労の慢性化を引き起こすと考えられ、その慢性化の持続または更なる悪化は慢性疲労症候群などの疾患に進行していくと考えられる。本研究による、疲労の慢性化を伴う睡眠・体温調節などの恒常性維持機能の動態変化は不可逆的な病的な疲労困憊を事前に予測し、疾患の発症を事前に防ぐ先制医療戦略に繋がる。また慢性疲労によって引き起こされる炎症性サイトカインや自己免疫関連遺伝子群の上昇は慢性疲労を克服する介入法の確立につなげることができる。