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Circadian organization in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula: the role of the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus

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Abstract

The effects of electrolytic lesions to the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus (SCN) on circadian rhythms of locomotor activity were examined in ruin lizards Podarcis sicula maintained in constant darkness and constant temperature (29°C). All lizards (N=15) in which the lesion damaged 80% or more of the SCN became behaviorally arrhythmic. On the contrary, locomotor rhythms persisted in all cases (N=11) when the SCN remained intact and lesions were confined to neighbouring regions of the preoptic area. Taken together with previous work which demonstrates that the pineal and the retinae are not essential for the persistence of circadian locomotor rhythmicity in Podarcis sicula and with recent evidence showing the homology between the SCN of lizards and those of mammals the present results strongly support the view that the SCN of Podarcis sicula contain the primary pacemaker(s) for locomotor rhythms.

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Abbreviations

DD :

constant darkness

LL :

constant light

SCN :

suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus

PH :

nucleus periventricularis hypothalami

OC :

optic chiasm

teα :

length of circadian activity

τ :

freerunning circadian period

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze del Comportamento Animale e dell'Uomo, Universitá di Pisa, via A. Volta 6, I-56126, Pisa, Italy

    L. Minutini, A. Innocenti, C. Bertolucci & A. Foà

Authors
  1. L. Minutini
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  2. A. Innocenti
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  3. C. Bertolucci
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  4. A. Foà
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Minutini, L., Innocenti, A., Bertolucci, C. et al. Circadian organization in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula: the role of the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus. J Comp Physiol A 176, 281–288 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239930

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