title: Intact interval timing in circadian CLOCK mutants.
abstract: While progress has been made in determining the molecular basis for the circadian clock, the mechanism by which mammalian brains time intervals measured in seconds to minutes remains a mystery. An obvious question is whether the interval-timing mechanism shares molecular machinery with the circadian timing mechanism. In the current study, we trained circadian CLOCK +/- and -/- mutant male mice in a peak-interval procedure with 10 and 20-s criteria. The mutant mice were more active than their wild-type littermates, but there were no reliable deficits in the accuracy or precision of their timing as compared with wild-type littermates. This suggests that expression of the CLOCK protein is not necessary for normal interval timing.
authors.affiliation: Duke University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Durham, NC 27708-90999, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cordes
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Gallistel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D013997:Time Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015534:Trans-Activators; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; C538944:Clock protein, mouse