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Contribution of classic photoreceptors to entrainment

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Abstract

The ability to phase shift and entrain in response to light is spared in retinally degenerate mice (rd/rd). In the present work, fewer retinally degenerate C57BL/6 mice than wildtypes entrained in dim lights, suggesting that rods and/or cones contribute toward entrainment even though they are not necessary. Thresholds for entrainment appear to be a more sensitive test of deficits in entrainment than phase shifts in response to light pulses.

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Abbreviations

DD:

continuous darkness

LD:

light-dark

rd/rd :

retinally degenerate

tau :

free-running period

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Acknowledgements

I thank Peggy Salmon, Sonja Banjanin and Christine Tenk for help, and Russell Van Gelder for comments. Naomi Ihara kindly supplied mice. Support came from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. These experiments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.

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  1. Departments of Zoology, Physiology and Psychology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada

    N. Mrosovsky

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Correspondence to N. Mrosovsky.

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Mrosovsky, N. Contribution of classic photoreceptors to entrainment. J Comp Physiol A 189, 69–73 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-002-0378-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-002-0378-7

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