Effects of Daily Physical Activity Level on Circadian Rhythm of Oral Body Temperature and Melatonin in Children

AbstractIntroduction. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of circadian rhythm on dynamic balance performance and to determine the role of physical activity level, body temperature, chronotype, and gender in this possible effect. Material andmethods. Forty-two young male and female subjects with different physical activity levels participated in the study. A dynamic equilibrium test, a Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), was conducted at 9:00, 13:00, and 17:00 on three different days with at least two days of interval between tests. The test scores were calculated by dividing the reaching distances by the leg length and multiplying the quotient by 100. The physical activity level and sleep state were evaluated using questionnaires. Before each test, body temperatures were measured orally. Results. The best SEBT scores were found at 13:00 and 17:00 in the male group and in the trained group. The body temperature changes increased parallel to SEBT scores. The scores for the non-dominant leg were found to be significantly different in posterior test directions, and those for the dominant leg were different in anterior directions. Chronotype did not affect the test results. Conclusions. Circadian rhythm was found to have an effect on dynamic balance performance. Body temperature, gender, and physical activity level were also found to play a role in this effect.

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Genetic analysis of daily physical activity using a mouse chromosome substitution strain

Physiological Genomics ◽

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00066.2009 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 47-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

He S. Yang ◽

Martha H. Vitaterna ◽

Aaron D. Laposky ◽

Kazuhiro Shimomura ◽

Fred W. Turek

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Level ◽

Wheel Running ◽

Daily Physical Activity ◽

Activity Level ◽

Constant Darkness ◽

Circadian Period ◽

Chromosome 13 ◽

Running Activity ◽

Wheel Running Activity

There is considerable evidence for a genetic basis underlying individual differences in spontaneous physical activity in humans and animals. Previous publications indicate that the physical activity level and pattern vary among inbred strains of mice and identified a genomic region on chromosome 13 as quantitative trait loci (QTL) for physical activity. To confirm and further characterize the role of chromosome 13 in regulating daily physical activity level and pattern, we conducted a comprehensive phenotypic study in the chromosome 13 substitution strain (CSS-13) in which the individual chromosome 13 from the A/J strain was substituted into an otherwise complete C57BL/6J (B6) genome. The B6 and A/J parental strains exhibited pronounced differences in daily physical activity, sleep-wake structure, circadian period and body weight. Here we report that a single A/J chromosome 13 in the context of a B6 genetic background conferred a profound reduction in both total cage activity and wheel-running activity under a 14:10-h light-dark cycle, as well as in constant darkness, compared with B6 controls. Additionally, CSS-13 mice differed from B6 controls in the diurnal distribution of activity and the day-to-day variability in activity onset. We further performed a linkage analysis and mapped a significant QTL on chromosome 13 regulating the daily wheel running activity level in mice. Taken together, our findings indicate a QTL on chromosome 13 with dramatic and specific effects on daily voluntary physical activity, but not on circadian period, sleep, or other aspects of activity that are different between B6 and A/J strains.

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