The small cells of the nervous system known as glia cells are required for the control of circadian behavior in Drosophilia (the fruit fly), reports the August 2, 2007 edition of Neuron.
 
In the study, F. Rob Jackson, PhD, director of the CNR and professor of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine, proposes that glia containing Ebony, a protein found in the fruit fly, affect clock control of dopaminergic function and setting up circadian rhythms, which are critical for the temporal control of behavior.
 
The study did not determine whether glia cells had a similar function in controlling the circadian rhythms of mammals but noted that everything known so far about the internal clock of the fruit fly and mammals suggests the system is very similar for both.
 
While much work is yet to be done before any human benefits can come from the discovery, Jackson is optimistic: “There are potentially broad implications for understanding the etiology of diseases that are affected by altered biological timing mechanisms, such as the human sleep-wake cycle.”