Altug Didikoglu

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• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor at Izmir Institute of Technology

Narcolepsy type I (NT1) is a life-long debilitating autoimmune neurological condition characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS); the only symptom universal to all patients. Issues regarding sleep efficiency is also prevalent in individuals with NT1, however it remains relatively understudied due to the difficulty in measuring the effect....

Background An early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disturbance of the circadian rhythm that is associated with disrupted sleep/wake cycles. Objective To investigate if BMAL1, a key gene that drives the circadian cycle, is epigenetically regulated in brains in relation to longitudinal changes in cognition, sleep quality, and AD neuropatho...

Light exposure plays a crucial role in shaping cognitive function; however, its effects outside controlled laboratory settings remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to investigate the impact of real-world light exposure on cognitive performance, revealing both immediate and cumulative benefits. To achieve this, we employed a wearable mel...

Study Objectives Melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells, which provide light information to time sleep and entrain circadian clocks, also influence perceived brightness raising the possibility that psychophysical paradigms could be used to explore the origins and implications of variability in melanopic sensitivity. We aimed to develop access...

Artificial light at night (ALAN) causes light pollution, disrupting the circadian rhythms of organisms and threatening their natural physiology, behaviour and survival. The conventional light exposure metric, "lux," is based on human brightness perception, making it inadequate for assessing the impact on different species. A novel system has been p...

Light profoundly impacts many aspects of human physiology and behaviour, including the synchronization of the circadian clock, the production of melatonin, and cognition. These effects of light, termed the non-visual effects of light, have been primarily investigated in laboratory settings, where light intensity, spectrum and timing can be carefull...

Background Light is a key environmental regulator of physiology and behaviour. Mistimed or insufficient light disrupts circadian rhythms and is associated with impaired health and well-being across mammals. Appropriate lighting is therefore crucial for indoor housed mammals. Light is commonly measured in lux. However, this employs a spectral weight...

Objectives: Perinatal depression (PD) affects individuals during pregnancy and early parenthood, resembling major depression. Recent research highlights paternal perinatal depression (PPD) in fathers. PPD has adverse effects on fathers and their children. This study assesses the Turkish version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for...

Background Depression among older adults is a global concern, contributing to disability and overall illness burden. Understanding its trajectory, associated risk factors, and implications for mortality is essential for effective intervention. Moreover, the relationship between depression, sleep disturbances, and synaptic density in the ageing brai...

Objectives: The timing of food intake is an emerging nutritional risk factor and mistimed food intake is independently associated with adverse health outcomes. The aim of this longitudinal analysis was to describe meal timing trajectories in an aging older population and their relationships with all-cause mortality. Methods: Participants were older...

Wearable light loggers are becoming increasingly available for various applications. This study employed a survey design to systematically analyze wearable light loggers, focusing on their key characteristics and usability. A comprehensive survey instrument was developed through expert meetings and iterative discussions, encompassing categories suc...

Light exposure is a vital regulator of physiology and behaviour in humans. However, monitoring of light exposure is not included in current wearable Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and only recently have international standards defined α-opic equivalent daylight illuminance measures for how the eye responds to light. This paper reports a wearable...

Light enables vision and exerts widespread effects on physiology and behavior, including regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, hormone synthesis, affective state, and cognitive processes. Appropriate lighting in animal facilities may support welfare and ensure that animals enter experiments in an appropriate physiological and behavioral state. Furth...

Light profoundly impacts many aspects of human physiology and behaviour, including the synchronization of the circadian clock, the production of melatonin, and cognition. These effects of light, termed the non-visual effects of light, have been primarily investigated in laboratory settings, where light intensity, spectrum and timing can be carefull...

People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia often have poor sleep, even when their psychotic symptoms are relatively well managed. This includes insomnia, sleep apnoea, hypersomnia, and irregular or non-24 h sleep-wake timing. Improving sleep would better support recovery, yet few evidence-based sleep treatments are offered to this group. This paper p...

Experimental and interventional studies show that light can regulate sleep timing and sleepiness while awake by setting the phase of circadian rhythms and supporting alertness. The extent to which differences in light exposure explain variations in sleep and sleepiness within and between individuals in everyday life remains less clear. Here, we est...

Light enables vision and exerts widespread effects on physiology and behaviour, including regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, hormone synthesis, affective state, and cognitive processes. Appropriate lighting in animal facilities may support welfare and ensure that animals enter experiments in a controlled physiological and behavioural state. Prope...

Objective: Studies have hypothesised that the combination of pre-existing genetic traits and specific environmental triggers determine the onset of the Narcolepsy. The most impactful genetic risk factor is the presence of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) DQB1*06:02 encoded on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), however, the presence of HLA-DQB...

Background Light is a key environmental regulator of physiology and behaviour. Mistimed or insufficient light disrupts circadian rhythms and is associated with impaired health and well-being across mammals. Appropriate lighting is therefore crucial for indoor housed mammals. The most commonly used measurement for lighting is lux. However, this empl...

p>Light exposure is a vital regulator of physiology and behaviour in humans. However, monitoring of light exposure is not included in current wearable Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and only recently have international standards defined alpha-opic equivalent daylight illuminance measures for how the eye responds to light. This paper reports a we...

Objectives Exposures in utero and during infancy may impact the development of diseases later in life. They may be linked with development of frailty, although the mechanism is unclear. This study aims to determine the associations between early life risk factors and development of frailty among middle-aged and older adults as well as potential pat...

Light is an influential regulator of behavioural and physiological state in mammals. Features of cognitive performance such as memory, vigilance and alertness can be altered by bright light exposure under laboratory and field conditions. However, the importance of light as a regulator of performance in everyday life is hard to assess and has so far...

Individuals with an 'evening' chronotype tend to sleep and wake later than people described to be 'morning' type if given a free choice. Since early awakening times, due to school and occupation, may be more challenging for those with evening chronotype, they are expected to be at greater risk of adverse health, occupational and educational outcome...

Perinatal light exposure predisposes towards health and behaviour in adulthood. Season of birth is associated with psychiatric, allergic, cardiovascular and metabolic problems. It has been proposed that early-life environmental light disrupts the development of biological rhythms which, in turn, influence later-life health. However, the mechanisms...

Introduction In elderly populations, sleep quality deteriorates and sleep time shifts towards earlier times. These sleep characteristics have been associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric disorders, cognitive decline and mortality. Our aims are to examine longitudinal changes of sleep in older adults and to investigate the relation...

This study aims to examine whether maternal smoking, birth weight, birth month and breastfeeding are associated with COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation. Maternal smoking was positively associated with COVID-19 infection. Breastfeeding was negatively associated with COVID-19 infection. The odds of being hospitalised due to COVID-19 were higher a...

Human chronotype, the temporal pattern of daily behaviors, is influenced by postnatal seasonal programming and ageing. The aim of this study was to investigate genetic variants that are associated with season of birth programming and longitudinal chronotype change. Longitudinal sleep timing and genotype data from 1449 participants were collected fo...

Objectives Humans live in environments that reduce the impact of seasonal cues. However, studies suggest that many aspects of human biology, such as birth, metabolism, health, and death are still annually rhythmic. Methods Using UK Biobank, a large (N = 502 536) population‐based resource, we investigated the influence of seasonality on birth rate,...

Evening-oriented sleep timing preferences have been associated with risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, psychiatric disorders, and increased mortality. This research aims to explore the relationship between diurnal preferences (chronotype), daily habits, metabolic health, and mortality, using longitudinal data from The University of...

The relationships between older age and sleep efficiency have traditionally been assessed using cross‐sectional studies that ignore changes within individuals as they age. This research examines the determinants of sleep efficiency, the heterogeneity in an individual's sleep efficiency trajectory across a period of up to 27 years in later life and...