title: The art of entrainment.
abstract: The circadian system actively synchronizes the temporal sequence of biological functions with the environment. The oscillatory behavior of the system ensures that entrainment is not passive or driven and therefore allows for great plasticity and adaptive potential. With the tools at hand, we now can concentrate on the most important circadian question: How is the complex task of entrainment achieved by anatomical, cellular, and molecular components? Understanding entrainment is equal to understanding the circadian system. The results of this basic research will help us to understand temporal ecology and will allow us to improve conditions for humans in industrialized societies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Psychology, University of Munich, Germany. till.roenneberg@imp.med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roenneberg
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daan
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Merrow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017440:Photoperiod