Very Early Clocks: On Molecular 'Timers' Behind the Origin of Human Experience

by Sari Goldstein Ferber

Overview

This book highlights the main rhythms of human behavior and experiences early in life, during gestation. It discusses their underlying molecular mechanisms as they develop in clockwise patterns. The book offers a comprehensive view of prenatal rhythms, showing their complexity, unlike traditional views that assume linearity.

Part 1 presents the latest data on structural rhythms of cerebral development, including the birth of the first neuron, neural wiring, myelination and inter-regional growth. These processes are described as they emerge from genome activation, followed by combinations of tissue- and time-specific gene expression. The transcriptomic architecture is discussed, alongside the development of antioxidative defenses.

Part 2 focuses on the rise of early psychological phenomena, as they develop from time-sensitive molecular processes. Part 3 provides an integration and a breakthrough in understanding clock genes during gestation beyond their photic reactivity. Using novel data on clock genes, the author presents a model to describe their ultradian oscillatory reactions to electrochemical and structural conditions. This synthesis, summarized in an equation, bridges thermodynamics, Control Systems Theory, electrochemical principles, and Boolean functions.

This book speaks to all readers interested in understanding the origin of human experiences, especially the crucial role of ‘timers’ during gestation. This book will be of interest to scientists for further studies, to teachers and students for further learning in academic courses, and to clinicians who wish to refine their diagnostic examinations during gestation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031896026
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	08/11/2025
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sari Goldstein Ferber, PhD, was trained at the Department of Psychiatry of Harvard University Medical School, USA. She received the Fulbright New Century Scholar Award on neurodevelopmental models of communication and signal transmission in early life adapted from Distributed Control Systems. She is a USA Department of State Alumna. She was a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, USA. Her recent publications focus on biological clocks and Control Systems. She is currently an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, USA. She is also a nominated full member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Intra-Individual Perspective Framing When and How Molecules Become Behavior.- Part I. Inputs – The Construction of Neural Structures.- Chapter 2. Clocks of Genome Activation.- Chapter 3. Clocks of DNA Modifications.- Chapter 4. Clocks of Myelination.- Chapter 5. Clocks of Antioxidative Defenses.- Part II. Outputs – The Rise of Psychological Phenomena.- Chapter 6. Clocks of Self-Regulation.- Chapter 7. Clocks of Perception.- Chapter 8. Clocks of Motivation.- Chapter 9. Clocks of Reward.- Chapter 10. Clocks of Executive Functions.- Chapter 11. Clocks of Emotions.- Part III. Integration – Bridging Molecular Time-Design and Early Human Experience.- Chapter 12. Clock Genes Beyond Photic Reactivity.