Walther Ludwig Aschoff (* 25 January 1913 in Freiburg in mash gau; "† 11 October 1998 in Freiburg in mash gau) was a director at the institute for Max-Planck for behavior physiology in Andechs and together with Erwin and Colin Pittendrigh founder of the Chronobiologie.

Biography

Aschoff was born as a fifth child of the pathologist Ludwig Aschoff (Aschoff Tawara knot) and his Mrs. Clara. After the Abitur at a human High School it - according to own statement "„lack specific interest "“- studied medicine in Bonn. After its conclusion 1937 in Freiburg it habilitierte 1944 and began themselves its first professor place 1949 at the university as a physiologist.

Starting from 1952 he worked on the institute for Max-Planck for medical research in the Heidelberg Seine early publications made it within the range physiology over the thermal regularization. Nearly inevitably Aschoff determined a 24-Stunden-Rhythmus of the body variations in temperature with its research over the of humans (also with self-investigations). But as "„a lonely wolf "“, how he called himself, it did not have a contact to other scientists, who concerned themselves with these phenomena. In addition the free-wheel rhythms were unknown to it with plants. Aschoff expressed once that the Botaniker the zoologist 103 years ahead would be, which concerned the discovery of the circadianen Rhythmik.

1953 met Aschoff Erwin one the first Chronobiologen. The relationship of the two was very friendly. 1958 became acquainted with themselves Aschoff and Colin Pittendrigh and remained their whole life long very well friendly. Aschoff, and Pittendrigh were 1960 the main initiators "„of the Cold jump Harbour of symposium for biological clocks "“. Here they put the virtual foundation-stone for the biological rhythm research in the last century.

1954 met Aschoff and Gustav Kramer, which had discovered sun compass orientation with birds, for the first time. 1958 got Konrad Lorenz and Erich of gets Aschoff after sea-meadows. Of of get learned it much over the coupling of oscillators and the phenomenon of the relative co-ordination. Short time later transferred Aschoff a department of the institute for Max-Planck for behavior physiology, created again for it, to Erling Andechs, so that there beside "„the classical "“and Ethologie rather describing actually also physiologically one researched.

Briefly after Aschoff had been appointed the director of the institute for Max-Planck for behavior physiology in Andechs, also Wever and Eberhard Gwinner in Andechs began to work. Institut developed with the years to the Mekka of the Chronobiologie. Many scientists from the whole world came to Andechs, in order to work together with Aschoff, under other one also Colin Pittendrigh and Serge Daan. Here they found excellent equipment and - uniquely in the world - "„the shelter "“, an isolation mechanism for the research of human and animal circadianen rhythms, dug into the mountain. The shelter was built with the aid NATO into the early 1960er years.

After its retreat into the retirement 1983 and the removal back to Freiburg Aschoff continued its scientific work in the form of further publications. Only the death of his Mrs. Hilde could break its unusual

Aschoff died 10 months after its wife after short illness at the age of 85 years.

Scientific work

After it was pushed at the human temperature temperature with self-attempts on the 24-Stunden-Rhythmus, the interest in the underlying mechanisms grew with Aschoff. It began to make far attempts this topic area. Thus it drew birds up with the hand and observed some mouse generations, which it bred under constant conditions in the laboratory. After these attempts it postulated:

"„The Rhythmik is not innate and it requires exposing to a 24-Stunden-Tag, in order to produce it. "“

It continued its work, by examining the influences of exogenous stimuli on the endogenous about DIANE system with birds and humans. The intensity of continuous lighting modulated the frequency predictably, although with night-active (nocturnalen) and day-active (diurnalen) animals in opposite direction - a phenomenon that soon as "„Aschoff's Rule "“(Aschoffs rule) was generalized:

The free-wheel period rope (t) in night-active animals is longer in L: L as in D: D, against what in day-active animals rope in L: L is shorter than in D: D

whereby L: L = 24 hours light and D: D = 24 hours of darkness means

These and other results led to a new conceptional view of the synchronisation of circadianen rhythms. It postulated an innate, biological oscillator, which is synchronized by the day night change in natural environment for example. The synchronizing factor it called "„interval timers "“, a word also entrance in English language found.

By application the physical oscillator theory could make Aschoff forecasts the behavior of circadianen systems and its answer to different interval timers. Its experimental and theoretical work in the 1950er and 1960er years put the foundation-stone for the today's view of the circadianen rhythms as a product of endogenous oscillators and their constant phase relationship to the light dark cycle - the most precise interval timer, which our planet has to offer.

Aschoff and Wever could establish the well supported theory that human physiology and behavior are controlled exactly the same by endogenous circadianen oscillators, like that the this realization had long-range effects in biology and the medicine. It led to our present understanding of many sozio medischer problems, like it for example from the shift work, Affektiven disturbances, sleep disturbances, to which aging jet-lay and results. In addition it put the basis for the optimization of pharmakologischer therapies.

Publications (selection)

• "„Beginning and end of the daily activity of free-living birds "“(with R. Wever, 1962),
• "„Circadian Clocks " (1965), "“Desynchronization and Resynchronization OF human Circadian Rhythm "“(1969),
• "„The Circadian system OF one "“(with R. Wever, 1981).

Articles in category "Jn Aschoff"

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