In spring 2023, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Frank Faraci, PhD, and Professor of Neurology and Radiology at Harvard Medical School, Eng Lo, PhD, sat down with Editor-in-Chief of the American Heart Association (AHA) Journal Circulation Research, Jane E. Freedman, MD, to discuss a possible new compendium for the journal. Now, a year later, that initial idea has become reality. Faraci and Lo are both guest editors and contributing authors to this new collection.
The special issue, Circadian Mechanisms in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease, released in March 2024, is focused on the influence of circadian mechanisms in relation to cardiovascular disease and brain health, with an emphasis on clinical impact. How abnormalities in these 24-hour rhythms may affect brain health, and interactions between diseases of the heart and brain, are also themes throughout the compilation.
Circulation Research, one of the most highly regarded journals in cardiovascular research, has been publishing compendia twice a year over the last decade, which are well-received by its readership and often widely cited.
“A compendium on circadian rhythms in the cardiovascular system was timely for two basic reasons,” Faraci said. “One, there has never been a compendium that focused on that topic in that journal. Two, as knowledge in this area of science continues to grow, it has become more and more clear how important these rhythms are in relation to a diverse array of biological systems.”
When Faraci and Lo approached Freedman, asking her to consider adding such an issue to the journal’s planned compendia, Freedman instead appointed them to organize and oversee the preparation of it. The two developed a list of potential authors to invite to this special issue, and later, when manuscripts were submitted for review, leveraged their respective networks to identify reviewers of them.
“Increasingly, these effects of circadian and diurnal rhythms in molecular biology, physiology, and pharmacology will have significant implications for biomedical research and translation,” Lo said. “We hope that this compendium may encourage our colleagues in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research to take these elements of time into serious consideration.”
Faraci agreed, and further ruminated on the specific interest he took in developing this project.
“The knowledge that this potentially very important area in relation to basic biology, cardiovascular disease, and potential therapy, remains relatively understudied,” Faraci said. “Many studies and clinical trials do not take these rhythms into consideration when designing the trials.”