Abstract
Both retinally degenerate and wildtype mice lengthened the period of their free-running circadian rhythms and reduced the amount of wheel running when exposed to increasing levels of constant illumination, in accordance with Aschoff's rule. Decreased locomotor activity may contribute toward lengthening of period in bright light. However, the known effects of activity on free-running period are small compared to those obtained by changing illumination. This suggests that Aschoff's rule in mice is not dependent on changes in nonphotic input, but results from a direct effect of light on the circadian system. The sparing of Aschoff's rule in retinally degenerate mice is further evidence that circadian photoreception depends on mechanisms other than rods and cones.
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Abbreviations
- DD:
-
continuous darkness
- LD:
-
light-dark
- LL:
-
continuous light
- rdta :
-
attenuated diphtheria toxin gene (dta) fused to a promoter for rhodopsin (r)
- tau :
-
free-running period
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Acknowledgements
I thank Peggy Salmon, Maria Lit and Diana Powell for help. 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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Mrosovsky, N. Aschoff's rule in retinally degenerate mice. J Comp Physiol A 189, 75–78 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-002-0381-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-002-0381-z