Figure 1.

Shiftwork can be disentangled into different aspects (blue blocks), for some of these aspects animal models have been developed (green blocks). Each of these aspects might contribute to health risks associated with shiftwork. However, all aspects strongly interact, making it difficult to separate the effects of each single aspect. In most animal studies only one of the aspects is manipulated, however, it is important to keep in mind that by manipulation of one aspect, other aspects might be affected as well due to this interaction.