Draft:Kenneth P. Wright Jr.

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Kenneth P. Wright Jr.

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Kenneth P. Wright Jr.
Alma materUniversity of Arizona, Tucson (B.S. in Psychology), Bowling Green State University (M.A. and Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience/Psychology)
Scientific career
FieldsIntegrative physiology, sleep medicine, chronobiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Colorado, Boulder (2002-Present)

Brigham and Women's Hospital (1997-2002)

Bowling Green State University (1995-1997)

Life

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Kenneth P. Wright Jr. is currently a professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology, Sleep and Chronobiology and is the director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder.[1][2] He had also served as an instructor at Harvard Medical School from 2000 to 2002.[3] Wright’s current research focuses on addressing and understanding the relationship between sleep and circadian rhythms and how disruptions of these rhythms may impact behavior, health, and safety. He investigates the impact of sleep and circadian disruptions on human physiological biomarkers, behavior, metabolism, and cognition, as well as how to apply these findings to wider health interventions.[2]

Education

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Wright received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 1990 in Tucson, AZ. There, he began his career in sleep research working under Richard R. Bootzin. Working under the direction of Pietro Badia, Wright completed both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience/Psychology at Bowling Green State University in 1994 and 1996, respectively.[1][4] In 1997, Wright moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to work as a Research Fellow in the Division of Endocrinology, Circadian, Neuroendocrine and Sleep Disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital. After three years as a Research Fellow, Wright moved on to be an Associate Neuroscientist and then the Director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He later became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology at the University of Colorado in 2002. Since then, he has assumed various teaching roles in the University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Integrative Physiology.[4]

Professional Organizations

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Kenneth P. Wright Jr. has served on the following organizations: [5]


Scientific Research

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Effects of light intensity on circadian entrainment

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Because modern-day electrical lighting is less intense than natural light, Wright and his students have investigated whether human circadian rhythms entrain to the period of environmental oscillations differently under electrical light compared to natural light. In 2013, Wright first measured research participant's exposures to electric and natural light for one week as they went about their daily lives and then exposed them only to natural light for another week, which was four times as intense as the electric light.[6] He found that after being exposed to natural light, the participants with late chronotypes exhibited large phase advances, which shift an individual's clock towards both falling asleep and waking up earlier, causing the timing of their circadian clocks to be closer to those with early chronotypes. Wright and his students also showed in 2017 that the human circadian clock is sensitive to seasonal changes in the natural light-dark cycle and that a weekend natural light exposure advanced the circadian clock.[7]

Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock

In 2015, Ken Wright and colleagues from the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge published a study in the Science Translational Medicine journal investigating the effects of caffeine and light on the human circadian clock. Wright and his team performed four 49-day long trials using a within-subject design which included two placebos (dim-light and bright-light) and one dim-light with caffeine ( ~1.9 lux and an equivalent of one double shot of espresso 3 hours before habitual bedtime) and one bright-light with caffeine ( ~3000 lux with the same caffeine and timing). Results from the study showed that the dim-light caffeine stimulus produced a ~40 min phase delay and the bright-light caffeine stimulus produced a ~ 85-105 min phase delay. The study demonstrates that caffeine can affect human circadian clock via melatonin rhythm driven by the human suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).[8]

Implications for light exposure and sleep hygiene in children

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Wright’s work on the light-induced melatonin suppression response in children demonstrated that the circadian clock becomes less sensitive to light, particularly in the evenings, as adolescents mature,[9] supporting the idea that decreasing evening light sensitivity is likely a product of age and not puberty. These data formulate a basis for recommendations regarding evening light exposure in young children and adolescents as it might relate to late sleep timing and sleep disturbances.

Effects of COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions and daytime light exposure on university students’ sleep and circadian timing

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Wright continued to focus his studies on university students, with an emphasis on the impacts on COVID-19. Before (2019), during (2020), and after (2021) pandemic shutdowns, Wright studied students’ sleep and light exposure using wrist monitors. He knew that young adults naturally prefer later sleep and wake times, which often clash with early class schedules and lead to inconsistent sleep patterns and sleep loss. However, he was curious about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which brought remote learning, and therefore reduced travel times and allowed students more flexibility in their sleep schedules. He found that with remote learning, differences in sleep timing and duration between school days and weekends significantly decreased, meaning each student’s own sleep remained more consistent.[10]

Effects of electric light on seasonal sleep rhythms among university students

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In 2022, Wright investigated the controversial question of whether electric light disrupts natural seasonal changes in sleep by studying about 500 university students year-round. Despite frequent access to electric light, students still went to bed and woke up later in the fall and winter compared to summer. Also, daytime light exposure had a stronger influence on circadian timing than light exposure after dusk. In fact, the clock advanced by 30 minutes per hour of light during the day, while delaying 15 minutes per hour of light at night. Ultimately, Wright suggested that frequent exposure to daylight helps reduce winter-related circadian delays.[11]

Effects of sleep deprivation on health

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Sleep deprivation has been linked to many short-term and long-term health consequences.[12] Wright has specifically investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on hormone levels. In 2015, he and his collaborator Charles A. Czeisler found that 40 hour acute sleep deprivation caused increases in blood cortisol and cytokines.[13] In 2010, he exposed research participants to a 24.0 or 24.6 hour sleep-wake schedule, slightly longer than a typical day, and found that those who were not able to entrain (or adapt) to the schedule, as measured by the timing of melatonin release under dim light conditions (known as DLMO or dim-light melatonin onset), showed reduced leptin levels and decreased sleep time.[14]

In addition, Wright has investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on metabolic health. In 2013, Wright determined that insufficient sleep over five days caused research participants to increase their food intake and gain two pounds on average.[15] Furthermore, Wright demonstrated in 2015 that a sleep schedule of five hours a night for five days resulted in a 20 percent reduction in insulin sensitivity.[16] Most recently, Wright found that a "weekend recovery" sleep schedule – where participants were restricted to five hours a night over a five-day work week, allowed to sleep as much as they liked over a two-day weekend, and restricted for another two days – did not prevent weight gain or reduce insulin sensitivity, compared to a constant five-hour sleep schedule.[17]

Implications of insufficient sleep for shift work

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The Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, of which Wright is the principal investigator, focuses its research on the consequences of sleep disruption and countermeasures to improve sleep.[2] Previous research has demonstrated that during extended periods of wakefulness, alertness and performance decrease as sleep propensity increases.[18] Shift work commonly produces circadian misalignment, which in turn results in increased sleep propensity, as these workers are awake and eating at times that are typically reserved for sleep.[18][19] The health consequences of shift work are well documented—heart disease, cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke, and metabolic syndromes have all been associated with shift work.[20][19] Further, research by Wright, his students, and collaborator Ed Melanson showed that simulated shift work reduced energy expenditure and increased the risk of weight gain.[21][22]

Additional work by Wright has worked to elucidate the mechanisms through which circadian misalignment causes health problems.[19] Wright and colleagues collected blood plasma from volunteers who underwent a simulation of a nightshift work schedule, then examined the subsequent changes in protein levels.[19] They found that key proteins that regulate the insulin-signaling pathway and interleukin signaling, which play a key role in immune responses, were upregulated.[19] On the other hand, proteins involved in antigen-presentation pathways decreased as a result of a simulated nightshift schedule.[19] Based on these findings, Wright and colleagues posited that circadian misalignment has far-reaching physiological impacts, including to metabolism and immune function.[19][23]

Other researchers investigating shift work have cited and expanded upon Wright’s studies on the negative health consequences of simulated nightshift schedules. His observation that shift work increased the risk of weight gain was validated in a meta analysis study by Zhang et al., which showed increased rates of obesity in night shift nurses compared to day shift nurses from America, Europe, and Australia.[24][25] Other work by Butler et al. found that night shift workers were significantly more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, compared to day shift workers.[26] While the mechanism by which circadian misalignment mediates chronic inflammatory diseases is unknown, Wright’s work suggested that shift workers have altered immune function.[19]  

Drugs improving sleep and wakefulness

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Wright has investigated the mechanistic effects of drugs approved to treat insomnia. In 2010, he found that Ramelteon, a melatonin MT-1/MT-2 agonist approved for insomnia treatment, reduced core body temperature and increased distal-proximal skin gradient (DPG).[27] DPG is a direct measure of the temperature difference between distal skin (i.e., on the hands/feet) and proximal skin (i.e., on the abdomen). It is an indirect measure of heat loss in the distal skin regions linked to sleep onset latency. He has also shown that combining bright light and caffeine is more effective at promoting wakefulness during sleep deprivation than using either one alone.[28] Furthermore, research by Wright, his students, and his collaborator John S. O'Neill have demonstrated that caffeine affects circadian rhythms in humans. They found that when participants ingested the amount of caffeine in a double espresso three hours before bedtime, they exhibited phase delays of 40 minutes in their circadian rhythms.[29]

Future Directions for Research

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Wright’s scientific mission aims to explain consequences of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment, as well as using that knowledge to improve public health and safety.[1] His work outlining deleterious health effects of shift work, where they found that individuals have lower energy expenditure compared to individuals on normal schedules, may increase risk for weight gain and obesity.[21] Moreover, data have shown that peak of protein levels in the blood changes after an all nighter, similar to a shift work schedule. More work on the effects of shift work will be necessary before targeted strategies can be implemented to improve the health of shift workers, such as understanding what causes the imbalance in energy expenditure, as well as the impact of diet and exercise. In addition, these findings could modulate treatment strategies, recognizing that alterations in protein levels in the blood could determine the efficacy of certain treatments which would have to be adjusted for shift workers.[23] Ultimately, the work of Wright and colleagues has the ability to reshape the conversation around the importance of sleep, making salient how sleep is critical in health and disease.

Educational Programs

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Dr. Wright organized and runs the Multi-Institutional Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Sleep and Circadian Research Careers (R25) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The program hosts undergraduate students from underrepresented populations to perform research and professional development at leading institutions, including: [30]

  • Harvard Medical School/Harvard University
  • Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Northwestern University/Northwestern School of Medicine
  • Stanford University/Stanford University School of Medicine
  • University of Colorado Boulder (Lead site)
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Pennsylvania/Perelman School of Medicine
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • Washington University in St. Louis

He also organizes the annual University of Colorado Sleep and Circadian Summer School which includes guest lectures, workshops, and networking sessions for professional development.[31] Additionally, he similarly supports graduate students and postdocs through the T32 Training Grant.[2]

Awards and Honors[32]

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  • Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award, Sleep Research Society (2022)
  • Integrative Physiology Faculty Excellence in Research – University of Colorado Boulder (2019)
  • BFA Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creative Work (Boulder Faculty Assembly, 2018)
  • Provost’s Faculty Achievement Award for Tenured Faculty (Academic Affairs, 2013)
  • Marinus Smith Award, University of Colorado Parents Association (2007)
  • Distinguished Service Award, Sleep Research Society (2007)
  • J. Christian Gillin, M.D. Research Award, Sleep Research Society Foundation (2005)
  • Young Investigator, William C. Dement Sleep and Chronobiology Apprenticeship, Brown University (2003)
  • Young Investigator Award, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Honorable mention (2000)
  • Fellowship in Clinical and Community Health Research, The Medical Foundation and Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust (1999-2001)
  • Distinction in Teaching: Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University (1998-2000)
  • National Research Service Award (T32), National Institutes of Health (1997-2000)
  • Charles E. Shanklin Award for Research Excellence of the Bowling Green State University (1996)


References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wright, Kenneth P | CU Experts | CU Boulder". experts.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  2. ^ a b c d "Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory". Integrative Physiology. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  3. ^ "Kenneth P. Wright Jr. | Integrative Physiology | University of Colorado Boulder". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  4. ^ a b "Kenneth P. Wright Jr". Integrative Physiology. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  5. ^ Wright, Kenneth P. Jr. Curriculum vitae. https://experts.colorado.edu//vitas/125586.pdf.
  6. ^ Wright, Kenneth (2013-08-19). "Entrainment of the Human Circadian Clock to the Natural Light-Dark Cycle". Current Biology. 23 (16): 1554–1558. Bibcode:2013CBio...23.1554W. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.039. PMC 4020279. PMID 23910656.
  7. ^ Nesbitt, Alexander (2018). "Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder". Journal of Thoracic Disease. 10: S103–111. doi:10.2147/nss.s193902. PMC 6438264. PMID 30988646.
  8. ^ Burke, Tina M.; Markwald, Rachel R.; McHill, Andrew W.; Chinoy, Evan D.; Snider, Jesse A.; Bessman, Sara C.; Jung, Christopher M.; O'Neill, John S.; Wright, Kenneth P. (2015-09-16). "Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock in vivo and in vitro". Science Translational Medicine. 7 (305): 305ra146. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aac5125. ISSN 1946-6242. PMC 4657156. PMID 26378246.
  9. ^ Crowley, Stephanie J.; Wolfson, Amy R.; Tarokh, Leila; Carskadon, Mary A. (2018). "An update on adolescent sleep: New evidence informing the perfect storm model". Journal of Adolescence. 67: 55–65. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.06.001. PMC 6054480. PMID 29908393.
  10. ^ Rice, Alicia; Sather, Olivia; Wright, Kenneth P, Jr.; Vetter, Céline; Martin, Melanie A; de la Iglesia, Horacio O (2023-07-01). "COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions increase the alignment in sleep and light exposure between school days and weekends in university students". Sleep. 46 (7): zsad059. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsad059. ISSN 0161-8105. PMC 10334482. PMID 36883614.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Dunster, Gideon P.; Hua, Isabelle; Grahe, Alex; Fleischer, Jason G.; Panda, Satchidananda; Wright Jr., Kenneth P.; Vetter, Céline; Doherty, Jennifer H.; de la Iglesia, Horacio O. (2023). "Daytime light exposure is a strong predictor of seasonal variation in sleep and circadian timing of university students". Journal of Pineal Research. 74 (2): e12843. doi:10.1111/jpi.12843. ISSN 1600-079X. PMID 36404490.
  12. ^ Medic, Goran; Wille, Micheline; Hemels, Michiel (2017). "Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption". Nature and Science of Sleep. 9: 151–161. doi:10.2147/nss.s134864. PMC 5449130. PMID 28579842.
  13. ^ Phan, Trongha x.; Malkani, Roneil G. (2018). "Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption and stress intersect in Alzheimer's disease". Neurobiology of Stress. 10 100133: 24–34. doi:10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.10.001. PMC 5401766. PMID 25640603.
  14. ^ James, Stephen M. (2018). "Shift Work: Disrupted Circadian Rhythms and Sleep—Implications for Health and Well-Being". Curr Sleep Med Rep. 3 (2): 104–112. doi:10.1007/s40675-017-0071-6. PMC 5647832. PMID 29057204.
  15. ^ Depner, Christopher M.; Melanson, Edward L.; Eckel, Robert H.; Snell-Bergeon, Janet K.; Perreault, Leigh; Bergman, Bryan C.; Higgins, Janine A.; Guerin, Molly K.; Stothard, Ellen R.; Morton, Sarah J.; Wright, Kenneth P. (2019-03-18). "Ad libitum Weekend Recovery Sleep Fails to Prevent Metabolic Dysregulation during a Repeating Pattern of Insufficient Sleep and Weekend Recovery Sleep". Current Biology: CB. 29 (6): 957–967.e4. Bibcode:2019CBio...29E.957D. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.069. ISSN 1879-0445. PMID 30827911.
  16. ^ "Lack of sleep, body clock disruption leads to impaired insulin sensitivity". www.Colorado.edu. April 25, 2019.
  17. ^ "'Catching up' on sleep on the weekend doesn't work". www.Colorado.edu. April 25, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Czeisler, C. A.; Gooley, J. J. (2007). "Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Humans". Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. 72 (1): 579–597. doi:10.1101/sqb.2007.72.064. ISSN 0091-7451. PMID 18419318.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Depner, Christopher M.; Melanson, Edward L.; McHill, Andrew W.; Wright, Kenneth P. (2018-06-05). "Mistimed food intake and sleep alters 24-hour time-of-day patterns of the human plasma proteome". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 115 (23): E5390 – E5399. Bibcode:2018PNAS..115E5390D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1714813115. PMC 6003375. PMID 29784788.
  20. ^ Bannai, Akira; Tamakoshi, Akiko (2014). "The association between long working hours and health: A systematic review of epidemiological evidence". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 40 (1): 5–18. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3388. ISSN 0355-3140. PMID 24100465.
  21. ^ a b "Working the night shift burns less energy and increases risk of weight gain". CU Boulder Today. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  22. ^ Markwald, Rachel R.; Melanson, Edward L.; Smith, Mark R.; Higgins, Janine; Perreault, Leigh; Eckel, Robert H.; Wright, Kenneth P. (2013-04-02). "Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (14): 5695–5700. Bibcode:2013PNAS..110.5695M. doi:10.1073/pnas.1216951110. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3619301. PMID 23479616.
  23. ^ a b "What an all-nighter does to your blood". CU Boulder Today. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  24. ^ Baldwin, Carol M.; Tucker, Sharon J.; Imes, Christopher C.; Reynaga-Ornelas, Luxana; Trinkoff, Alison M.; Weinstein, Sharon M.; Dunbar-Jacob, Jacqueline (2025). "American Academy of Nursing Policy Recommendations to Reduce and Prevent Negative Health Outcomes and Health Care Costs Among Night Shift Nurses: An AAN Consensus Paper". Nursing Outlook. 73 (1): 102344. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102344. PMID 39729696 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  25. ^ Zhang, Qi; Chair, Sek Ying; Lo, Suzanne Hoi Shan; Chau, Janita Pak-Chun; Schwade, Mark; Zhao, Xiaosu (2020). "Association between shift work and obesity among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis". International Journal of Nursing Studies. 112 103757. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103757. PMID 32921429.
  26. ^ Butler, Thomas; Maidstone, J Robert; Rutter, K Martin; McLaughlin, T John; Ray, W David; Gibbs, E Julie (2023-10-01). "The Associations of Chronotype and Shift Work With Rheumatoid Arthritis". Journal of Biological Rhythms. 38 (5): 510–518. doi:10.1177/07487304231179595. ISSN 0748-7304. PMC 10475206. PMID 37382359.
  27. ^ Grosso, Giuseppe; Godos, Justyna; Galvano, Fabio (2017). "Coffee, Caffeine, and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review". Annual Review of Nutrition. 37: 141–156. doi:10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064941. PMID 28826374.
  28. ^ Pandi-Perumal, Seithikurippu R.; Spence, Warren; Verster, Joris (2011). "Pharmacotherapy of Insomnia with Ramelteon: Safety, Efficacy and Clinical Applications". Nature and Science of Sleep. 3: 51–65. doi:10.4137/JCNSD.S1611. PMC 3663615. PMID 23861638.
  29. ^ "Caffeine at night delays human circadian clock". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  30. ^ "NIH R25 Sleep and Circadian Training Grant | Integrative Physiology | University of Colorado Boulder". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  31. ^ "Colorado Sleep and Circadian Summer School | Integrative Physiology | University of Colorado Boulder". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  32. ^ "Kenneth P. Wright Jr. | Integrative Physiology | University of Colorado Boulder". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-24.