Credit: Salk Institute.
LA JOLLA (February 25, 2021) Professors Satchin Panda and Tatyana Sharpee have both been recognized for their contributions and dedication to advancing science through research by being named to endowed chairs at the Salk Institute.
Satchin Panda, named to the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair, is a biologist who explores the genes, molecules and cells that maintain the circadian timekeeping system, the internal program that orchestrates processes in the body, from digestion to cognitive functions, at appropriate times of the day.
A small region of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) lies at the center of the body s master clock and receives input directly from a novel set of blue-light sensing neurons in the eyes, keeping the rest of the body on schedule. Panda discovered how these light sensors measure ambient light level and modulate brain functions underlying circadian rhythm, sleep, alertness, and depression. This fundamental discovery ha