Nicklaus Halloy, PhD Candidate 2026

“Circadian timing and entrainment properties of the SCN pacemaker in the PS19 mouse model of tau pathology”  Experimental Neurology 2025

This study investigates how circadian entrainment in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is altered in a mouse model neurodegeneration; the PS19 model of tau pathology. This study provides novel information regarding pathological tau accumulation occurs early in the SCN of PS19 tauopathy mice. Pathological tau is colocalized in primary circadian pacemaker neuronal populations. However, SCN timing and entrainment properties are largely unaffected in PS19 mice and core clock gene expression was not affected in tau-seeded PS19 SCN cultures. These findings suggest that tau pathology within the SCN is not sufficient to trigger marked disruptions of core circadian timing mechanisms in this tauopathy model. Further, these results raise the possibility that circadian disruptions in tauopathies arise from dysfunction in SCN-gated output pathways or downstream clock-gated circuits rather than the SCN oscillator itself.

link to paper