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Diversity in the Circadian Response to Melatonin in Mammals

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Biological Rhythms

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Abstract

Early studies in rats showed that timed melatonin administration could entrain and phase advance free-running activity rhythms, and affect the rate and direction of reentrainment following light-dark cycle phase-shifts. Based on these studies, it was initially thought that the mammalian circadian system was responsive to melatonin only within a narrow window of sensitivity, near the late subjective day. More recent studies in mice, palm squirrels and humans suggest that there are other times of the day when the circadian system is sensitive to the hormone. There appears to be much diversity and complexity in the responses to melatonin across species. In view of this, it is surprising that melatonin phase response curves have been described for only four different mammals, and entrainment studies have been reported in only a handful of species. There are likely to be differences between diurnal and nocturnal species in response to melatonin, although this possibility has not been thoroughly investigated. Until such issues are resolved and the mechanisms of melatonin action are elucidated, application of the hormone in the clinical setting may be premature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Chronobiology, School of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, UK

    S. M. W. Rajaratnam

  2. Department of Psychology, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    J. R. Redman

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  1. S. M. W. Rajaratnam
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  2. J. R. Redman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, 226 007, Lucknow, India

    Vinod Kumar (Professor) (Professor)

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Rajaratnam, S.M.W., Redman, J.R. (2002). Diversity in the Circadian Response to Melatonin in Mammals. In: Kumar, V. (eds) Biological Rhythms. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06085-8_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06085-8_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-06087-2

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