title: Effects of aggressive encounters on pineal melatonin formation in male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus, Cricetidae).
abstract: Pineal N-acetyl-transferase activity and radioimmunoassayable melatonin levels were determined in adult male gerbils subjected to aggressive encounters using the intruder-model. In the first experiment, a single encounter of 3 min was applied in the afternoon to intact and to animals with sympathetically denervated pineal organs. Compared with controls, both stressed groups demonstrated a drastic decrease in N-acetyl-transferase activity followed by a slow recovery. In both groups there also occurred a marked change in pineal melatonin content: in intact animals pineal melatonin levels were elevated immediately after the encounter; thereafter, melatonin values decreased. In animals bearing denervated pineal organs melatonin levels fell as a consequence of the encounter. In a second experiment, intact gerbils experienced four daily encounters of 1 min for one week. Thereafter the nocturnal formation of melatonin was studied. In comparison with untreated controls, the repeatedly stressed animals demonstrated a temporal delay in the rise of both N-acetyl-transferase activity and melatonin. Since the pineal organ is able to transduce events of the social environment into an endocrine message--as set forth by both our experiments--the pineal organ might play an important role within central processing of social stress.
authors.affiliation: Anatomische Anstalt, Universität München, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heinzeller
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nürnberger
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Reiter
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000123:Acetyltransferases; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase; D008550:Melatonin