title: Locomotor activity and melatonin rhythms in rats under non-24-h lighting cycles.
abstract: The adjustment of pineal melatonin and locomotor activity rhythms to 10:10-h light:dark (LD) or 14:14-h LD cycles was studied in male Wistar rats. Both lighting conditions were thought to be outside the limits of entrainment of the rest-activity rhythm in this species. We assumed that the rhythm of pineal melatonin synthesis might be more adaptable. As expected, the locomotor activity rhythm was not adjusted to the 10:10-h LD cycles. Under these conditions, a free-running component (25 h) became dominant. Under the 14:14-h LD cycles, however, an unexpected adaptation occurred within 10 days. The profiles of the pineal melatonin contents measured on days 5 and 30 under the 10:10-h LD and on day 7 under the 14:14-h LD schedule were in line with the estimated free-running oscillations, but the profile on day 21 under the 14:14-h LD schedule was not. This melatonin pattern fitted the LD-adjusted activity rhythm. Thus, the melatonin rhythm did not adapt better than the activity rhythm to the exotic LD cycles. Instead, parallel changes were found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Laakso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leinonen
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Joutsiniemi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Porkka-Heiskanen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alila
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000097:blood*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008550:Melatonin