In a recent breakthrough, the Güler lab identified a neuronal connection between midbrain dopaminergic neurons that are activated in response to salient rewarding events and SCN neurons. They showed that this pathway accelerates entrainment and drives palatable food consumption outside of mealtimes. Now, they are leveraging our expertise in disentangling circadian entrainment neurocircuitry to determine whether strengthening circadian rhythmicity ameliorates symptoms of metabolic disorders or Alzheimer’s disease. Their work is aimed at understanding the relationship between entrainment cues, physiology and behavior while providing tangible strategies against the adverse consequences of circadian misalignment.