CHRONOBIOLOGY .1. GENERAL-PRINCIPLES OF CHRONOBIOLOGY

This is the first of five continuing education articles focusing on ch ronobiology, one of the newest of the biological disciplines. This art icle provides an overview of the discipline of chronobiology; the next four articles will address specific areas in more detail. Because it influences all aspects of biology and medicine, chronobiology is consi dered an integrating discipline. This article focuses on the circadian frequency, which characterizes most metabolizing events in physiologi cal functions; presents an analysis of time-series data; and discusses how temporal organization can influence basic science and clinical me dicine. Remaining installments in this series will focus on chronobiol ogy and its relation to the endocrine system, melatonin, and acute myo cardial infarction, and the application of chronopharmacology in cance r medicine.