[Diurnal fluctuations of heart rate and locomotive activity in the vole (Microtus arvalis)].
Diurnal fluctuations of heart rate and locomotive activity were observed in the unanesthetized and unrestrained voles (Microtus arvalis) and mice, and the differences in these biological characters between voles and mice were also investigated. The mean heart rate of vole in whole day was lower than that of mice. In voles, there were no significant differences in the mean heart rate between in light period and in dark period. It was observed that most of voles were active in not only dark period but light period. On the other hand, in mice, the mean heart rate in dark period was significantly higher than that in light period, and the nocturnal habit was shown obviously in the locomotive activity. In voles, the ultradian rhythmicities of 95-210 min in the heart rate and those of 160-210 min in the locomotive activity were recognized, and the fluctuations of heart rate due to ultradian rhythmicity in voles exceeded the difference between the heart rate in light period and that in dark period. In mice, one of three animals showed the ultradian rhythmicity of 85 min in the fluctuation of heart rate. Diurnal fluctuation of the heart rate in voles consisted of the two patterns which the peaks of heart rate were coincident with the active period or the resting period. However, all the peaks of heart rate in mice were coincident with the active period. These results suggested that the fluctuations of heart rate in voles were dependent on ultradian rhythmicities in addition to the circadian rhythmicities.
Ishii
K
K
Department of Comparative Pathophysiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Kuwahara
M
M
Tsubone
H
H
Sugano
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*