title: Different in vivo metabolic activities of suprachiasmatic nuclei of Turkish and golden hamsters.
abstract: The 14C-labeled 2-deoxy-D-glucose technique was used to measure in vivo glucose utilization of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of Turkish and golden hamsters during the middle hours of the light phase of the 12:12 h light-dark cycle. The nuclei were clearly visible on autoradiographs made from the brains of Turkish hamsters, and their rate of glucose utilization (69 +/- 6 mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was similar to that previously measured in other rodents, whereas the nuclei were hardly visible on autoradiographs from golden hamsters, and their rate (33 +/- 2 mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was less than half this value. Thus the high energy metabolism characteristic of the SCN of most species is not required for the circadian pacemaker in the nuclei to generate its oscillation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester 01655.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D006224:Cricetinae / Q000378:metabolism*; D003624:Darkness; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003847:Deoxyglucose