scholarly journals Bright daytime light enhances circadian amplitude in a diurnal mammal

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (22) ◽  
pp. e2100094118
Author(s):  
Beatriz Bano-Otalora ◽  
Franck Martial ◽  
Court Harding ◽  
David A. Bechtold ◽  
Annette E. Allen ◽  
...  

Mammalian circadian rhythms are orchestrated by a master pacemaker in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), which receives information about the 24 h light–dark cycle from the retina. The accepted function of this light signal is to reset circadian phase in order to ensure appropriate synchronization with the celestial day. Here, we ask whether light also impacts another key property of the circadian oscillation, its amplitude. To this end, we measured circadian rhythms in behavioral activity, body temperature, and SCN electrophysiological activity in the diurnal murid rodent Rhabdomys pumilio following stable entrainment to 12:12 light–dark cycles at four different daytime intensities (ranging from 18 to 1,900 lx melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance). R. pumilio showed strongly diurnal activity and body temperature rhythms in all conditions, but measures of rhythm robustness were positively correlated with daytime irradiance under both entrainment and subsequent free run. Whole-cell and extracellular recordings of electrophysiological activity in ex vivo SCN revealed substantial differences in electrophysiological activity between dim and bright light conditions. At lower daytime irradiance, daytime peaks in SCN spontaneous firing rate and membrane depolarization were substantially depressed, leading to an overall marked reduction in the amplitude of circadian rhythms in spontaneous activity. Our data reveal a previously unappreciated impact of daytime light intensity on SCN physiology and the amplitude of circadian rhythms and highlight the potential importance of daytime light exposure for circadian health.

Author(s):  
Beatriz Bano-Otalora ◽  
Franck Martial ◽  
Court Harding ◽  
David A. Bechtold ◽  
Annette E. Allen ◽  
...  

AbstractMammalian circadian rhythms are orchestrated by a master pacemaker in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), which receives information about the 24 h light:dark cycle from the retina. The accepted function of this light signal is to reset circadian phase in order to ensure appropriate synchronisation with the celestial day. Here, we ask whether light also impacts another key property of the circadian oscillation, its amplitude. To this end, we measured rhythms in behavioural activity and body temperature, and SCN electrophysiological activity in the diurnal murid rodent Rhabdomys pumilio following stable entrainment to 12:12 light:dark cycles at 4 different daytime intensities (ranging from 12.77 to 14.80 log melanopsin effective photons/cm2/s). Rhabdomys showed strongly diurnal activity and body temperature rhythms in all conditions, but measures of rhythm robustness were positively correlated with daytime irradiance under both entrainment and subsequent free run. Whole-cell and extracellular recordings of electrophysiological activity in ex vivo SCN revealed substantial differences in electrophysiological activity between dim and bright light conditions. At lower daytime irradiance, daytime peaks in SCN spontaneous firing rate and membrane depolarisation were substantially depressed, leading to an overall marked reduction in the amplitude of circadian rhythms in spontaneous activity. Our data reveal a previously unappreciated impact of daytime light intensity on SCN physiology and the amplitude of circadian rhythms, and highlight the potential importance of daytime light exposure for circadian health.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (5) ◽  
pp. R1111-R1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Depres-Brummer ◽  
F. Levi ◽  
G. Metzger ◽  
Y. Touitou

In a constant environment, circadian rhythms persist with slightly altered period lengths. Results of studies with continuous light exposure are less clear, because of short exposure durations and single-variable monitoring. This study sought to characterize properties of the oscillator(s) controlling the rat's circadian system by monitoring both body temperature and locomotor activity. We observed that prolonged exposure of male Sprague-Dawley rats to continuous light (LL) systematically induced complete suppression of body temperature and locomotor activity circadian rhythms and their replacement by ultradian rhythms. This was preceded by a transient loss of coupling between both functions. Continuous darkness (DD) restored circadian synchronization of temperature and activity circadian rhythms within 1 wk. The absence of circadian rhythms in LL coincided with a mean sixfold decrease in plasma melatonin and a marked dampening but no abolition of its circadian rhythmicity. Restoration of temperature and activity circadian rhythms in DD was associated with normalization of melatonin rhythm. These results demonstrated a transient internal desynchronization of two simultaneously monitored functions in the rat and suggested the existence of two or more circadian oscillators. Such a hypothesis was further strengthened by the observation of a circadian rhythm in melatonin, despite complete suppression of body temperature and locomotor activity rhythms. This rat model should be useful for investigating the physiology of the circadian timing system as well as to identify agents and schedules having specific pharmacological actions on this system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Mette Hoffmann ◽  
Thu V Duong ◽  
Duong Nguyen ◽  
Asad Muhammed ◽  
Alexandra M Yaw

Abstract Molecular and behavioral timekeeping is regulated by the circadian system represented on the cellular level by clock transcription factors, including Period2 (PER2), Bmal1, Clock and Cry. These transcription factors drive a daily ~24h rhythm in gene expression leading to tissue specific receptor expression optimizing sensitivity to hormones and drugs dependent on the time of day. To synchronize circadian rhythms in the body to the time of day, the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) translates environmental light information into neuronal and endocrine signals allowing circadian rhythm synchrony. Despite the critical role of circadian rhythms in fertility, it remains unknown how circadian rhythms change within reproductive tissues during pregnancy, and how these adaptations might impact drug efficacy. Monitoring wheel-running patterns in circadian PER2::luciferase (PER2::LUC) reporter mice, we confirmed that pregnancy is associated with reductions of activity and identified a correlation between delayed onset of behavioral activity during late pregnancy and ex vivo SCN PER2::LUC period, whereas no correlation between arcuate nucleus PER2::LUC rhythms was identified. The time of day of peak PER2::LUC expression provides a time-stamp as to the circadian phase of a tissue. Pregnancy impacted circadian synchrony in the reproductive axis, with the most dramatic change within the uterus. To understand how circadian rhythms responded to input during pregnancy, we performed a pharmacology study and found that circadian rhythm generation in the uterus responded differentially to hormones regulating pregnancy and labor depending on gestational age and the time of day of drug administration. To test for functional changes in uterine contraction capacity, we recorded ex vivo uterine contractions. Our preliminary data reveal a circadian change in uterine function in the mouse, which impacted labor regulating drug efficacy depending on the time of day. Together our data show that pregnancy is associated with behavioral changes in locomotor activity patterns, as well as adaptations in phase-relationships in reproductive tissues. Our chrono-pharmacology study indicates that a better understanding of labor-regulating drug efficacy can potentially allow increased efficacy of currently used drugs in the clinic to both induce labor as well as halt preterm labor.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. R991-R996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Klerman ◽  
David W. Rimmer ◽  
Derk-Jan Dijk ◽  
Richard E. Kronauer ◽  
Joseph F. Rizzo ◽  
...  

In organisms as diverse as single-celled algae and humans, light is the primary stimulus mediating entrainment of the circadian biological clock. Reports that some totally blind individuals appear entrained to the 24-h day have suggested that nonphotic stimuli may also be effective circadian synchronizers in humans, although the nonphotic stimuli are probably comparatively weak synchronizers, because the circadian rhythms of many totally blind individuals “free run” even when they maintain a 24-h activity-rest schedule. To investigate entrainment by nonphotic synchronizers, we studied the endogenous circadian melatonin and core body temperature rhythms of 15 totally blind subjects who lacked conscious light perception and exhibited no suppression of plasma melatonin in response to ocular bright-light exposure. Nine of these fifteen blind individuals were able to maintain synchronization to the 24-h day, albeit often at an atypical phase angle of entrainment. Nonphotic stimuli also synchronized the endogenous circadian rhythms of a totally blind individual to a non-24-h schedule while living in constant near darkness. We conclude that nonphotic stimuli can entrain the human circadian pacemaker in some individuals lacking ocular circadian photoreception.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1475
Author(s):  
Shota Kato ◽  
Hong Gil Nam

In unicellular photosynthetic organisms, circadian rhythm is tightly linked to gating of cell cycle progression, and is entrained by light signal. As several organisms obtain a fitness advantage when the external light/dark cycle matches their endogenous period, and aging alters circadian rhythms, senescence phenotypes of the microalga Euglena gracilis of different culture ages were characterized with respect to the cell division cycle. We report here the effects of prolonged-stationary-phase conditions on the cell division cycles of E. gracilis under non-24-h light/dark cycles (T-cycles). Under T-cycles, cells established from 1-month-old and 2-month-old cultures produced lower cell concentrations after cultivation in the fresh medium than cells from 1-week-old culture. This decrease was not due to higher concentrations of dead cells in the populations, suggesting that cells of different culture ages differ in their capacity for cell division. Cells from 1-week-old cultures had a shorter circadian period of their cell division cycle under shortened T-cycles than aged cells. When algae were transferred to free-running conditions after entrainment to shortened T-cycles, the young cells showed the peak growth rate at a time corresponding to the first subjective night, but the aged cells did not. This suggests that circadian rhythms are more plastic in younger E. gracilis cells.


Hypertension ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianfei Hou ◽  
Wen Su ◽  
Ming C Gong ◽  
Zhenheng Guo

Db/db mouse, which lacks functional leptin receptor, is an extensively used model of obesity and type 2 diabetes. We and others have demonstrated that db/db mouse has disruptions in circadian rhythms of behavior, physiology and some clock genes. However, systemic investigations of the alterations in clock gene oscillations in multiple systems with high time resolution in this model are impeded by the impractical demand for large number of animals. To overcome this limitation, we cross bred the db/db mouse with mPer2 Luc mouse in which the clock gene Period2 is fused with a luciferase reporter thus allow real-time monitoring of the clock gene Per2 oscillations. The generated db/db-mPer2 Luc mice had the typical diabetic mellitus including obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. In addition, the db/db-mPer2 Luc mice also exhibited disruptions in circadian rhythms in behavior (locomotor activity), physiology (blood pressure) and metabolism (respiratory exchange ratio and energy expenditure). Using the LumiCycle system, we monitored in real-time of the Per2 oscillations in both the SCN central clock and multiple peripheral tissues ex vivo . The results showed no difference in the phase of the central SCN Per2 oscillation. However, the peripheral tissues that related to metabolism, such as liver and white adipose clocks, displayed 3.28±0.86 and 4.64±1.06 hours of phase advance respectively. Aorta, mesentery artery and kidney, organs play important role in blood pressure homeostasis, showed 0.99±0.37, and 2.12±0.4, and 2.21±0.5 hours phase advance respectively. Interestingly, no difference was observed in the lung and adrenal gland. We then investigated the Per2 oscillation in vivo by using the IVIS imaging system. Consistent with the ex vivo results, the liver Per2 oscillation were phase advanced in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that clock gene Per2 oscillations were disrupted in multiple peripheral tissues but not in central SCN. Moreover, the extent of phase advance in peripheral tissue varies largely. Our results suggest dyssynchrony of the clock oscillations among various peripheral systems likely contribute to the multiple disruptions in physiology and metabolism in diabetic db/db mice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. S251
Author(s):  
Esther Blessing ◽  
Ankit Paresh ◽  
Arleener Turner ◽  
Andrew Varga ◽  
David Rapoport ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (3) ◽  
pp. R812-R828 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Pitrosky ◽  
R. Kirsch ◽  
A. Malan ◽  
E. Mocaer ◽  
P. Pevet

Daily administration of melatonin or S20098, a melatonin agonist, is known to entrain the free-running circadian rhythms of rats. The effects of the duration of administration on entrainment were studied. The animals demonstrated free-running circadian rhythms (running-wheel activity, body temperature, general activity) in constant darkness. Daily infusions of melatonin or S20098 for 1, 8, or 16 h entrained the circadian rhythms to 24 h. Two daily infusions of 1 h (separated by 8 h) entrained the activity peak within the shorter time interval. The entraining properties of melatonin and S20098 were similar and were affected neither by pinealectomy nor by infusion of 1- or 8-h duration. However, with 16-h infusion, less than half of the animals became entrained. Once entrained, the phase angle between the onset of infusion and the rhythms (onset of activity or acrophase of body temperature) increased with the duration of infusion. Before entrainment, the free-running period increased with the duration of infusion, an effect that was not predictable from the phase response curve.


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