The pineal gland of the Mongolian gerbil: nocturnal increase of electrical activity.
Extracellular single unit recordings were made during day- and nighttime from spontaneously active pineal gland cells in male Mongolian gerbils. Units exhibited an irregular firing pattern. Discharge frequencies ranged from 0.1 to 8.5 Hz and showed distinct time-dependent differences. During daytime, mean firing frequencies were in the range of 1 Hz and increased to 2 Hz in the early dark period, reaching a peak (ca. 5 Hz) in the middle of the night, followed by a decrease to 2 Hz in late night. The results of this first report on pineal electrical activity in Mongolian gerbils are discussed in comparison to those obtained from rat, guinea pig and golden hamster.
Stehle
J
J
Department of Anatomy, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, F.R.G.
Reuss
S
S
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003624:Darkness; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000502:physiology*