title: Physiological and anatomic evidence for regulation of the heart by suprachiasmatic nucleus in rats.
abstract: The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the mammalian biological clock that generates the daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Light can phase shift the rhythm of the SCN but can also acutely affect SCN activity and output, e.g., output to the pineal. Recently, multisynaptic SCN connections to other organs were also demonstrated. Moreover, they were shown to affect those organs functionally. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the SCN in the regulation of the heart. First, we demonstrated that heart rate (HR) in SCN-intact, but not SCN-lesioned (SCNx), male Wistar rats had a clear circadian rhythm, which was not caused by locomotor activity. Second, we demonstrated that light at night reduces HR in intact but not in SCNx rats. Finally, we demonstrated the presence of a multisynaptic autonomic connection from SCN neurons to the heart with the retrograde pseudorabies virus tracing technique. Together, these results demonstrate that the SCN affects the heart in rats and suggest that this is mediated by a neuronal mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hypothalamic Integration Mechanisms, Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. f.scheer@nih.knaw
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Scheer
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Ter Horst
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Der Vliet
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Buijs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid; D008029:Lighting; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*