Dopaminergic regulation of circadian food anticipatory activity rhythms in the rat

Astrocytic insulin receptor controls circadian behavior via dopamine signaling in a sexually dimorphic manner

Mammalian circadian clocks respond to feeding and light cues, adjusting internal rhythms with day/night cycles. Astrocytes serve as circadian timekeepers, driving daily physiological rhythms; however, it's unknown how they ensure precise cycle-to-cycle rhythmicity. This is critical for understanding why mistimed or erratic feeding, as in shift work, disrupts circadian physiology- a condition linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity. Here, we show that astrocytic insulin signaling sets the free-running period of locomotor activity in female mice and food entrainment in male mice. Additionally, ablating the insulin receptor in hypothalamic astrocytes alters cyclic energy homeostasis differently in male and female mice. Remarkably, the mutants exhibit altered dopamine metabolism, and the pharmacological modulation of dopaminergic signaling partially restores distinct circadian traits in both male and female mutant mice. Our findings highlight the role of astrocytic insulin-dopaminergic signaling in conveying time-of-feeding or lighting cues to the astrocyte clock, thus governing circadian behavior in a sex-specific manner.

Association of Chrononutrition Indices with Anthropometric Parameters, Academic Performance, and Psychoemotional State of Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Adolescents are an at-risk group for circadian misalignment. The contribution of sleep-wake rhythm instability to the psychoemotional, cognitive, and weight disorders of adolescents has been studied in sufficient detail. At the same time, there is insufficient information about the association between chrononutrition indices and the well-being of adolescents. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between chrononutrition indices and academic achievement, psychoemotional state, and anthropometric indicators in adolescents. The study involved 12,759 students in grades 6-11 of secondary schools, aged 14.2 ± 1.7 years old; 57.2% of whom were girls. Participants provided personal data, frequency and time of meals during the day and at night, on weekdays and weekends, and completed the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Yale Food Addiction Scale. There is a U-shaped association between eating mid-phase (EPFc), eating jetlag (EJL), and eating window (EW) with GPA, ZSDSI, and FA. At the same time, the frequency of night eating (NE) is linearly associated with the studied parameters. NE is the strongest predictor of ZSDSI (β = 0.24), FA (β = 0.04), and GPA (β = -0.22). EPFc, EJL, and EW practically do not differ in the strength of their association with the studied indicators. ZSDSI is most closely associated with the chrononutrition indices. There is a weak negative association between BMI and EW (β = -0.03) and NE (β = -0.04). Thus, circadian eating disorders are more often observed in adolescents with poor academic performance, high levels of depression, and food addiction.

Dopamine systems and biological rhythms: Let's get a move on

How dopamine signaling regulates biological rhythms is an area of emerging interest. Here we review experiments focused on delineating dopamine signaling in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum to mediate a range of biological rhythms including photoentrainment, activity cycles, rest phase eating of palatable food, diet-induced obesity, and food anticipatory activity. Enthusiasm for causal roles for dopamine in the regulation of circadian rhythms, particularly those associated with food and other rewarding events, is warranted. However, determining that there is rhythmic gene expression in dopamine neurons and target structures does not mean that they are bona fide circadian pacemakers. Given that dopamine has such a profound role in promoting voluntary movements, interpretation of circadian phenotypes associated with locomotor activity must be differentiated at the molecular and behavioral levels. Here we review our current understanding of dopamine signaling in relation to biological rhythms and suggest future experiments that are aimed at teasing apart the roles of dopamine subpopulations and dopamine receptor expressing neurons in causally mediating biological rhythms, particularly in relation to feeding, reward, and activity.

Mice hypomorphic for Pitx3 show robust entrainment of circadian behavioral and metabolic rhythms to scheduled feeding

Pitx3ak mice lack a functioning retina and develop fewer than 10% of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. Del Río-Martín et al. (2019) reported that entrainment of circadian rhythms to daily light-dark (LD) cycles is absent in these mice, and that rhythms of locomotor activity, energy expenditure, and other metabolic variables are disrupted with food available ad libitum and fail to entrain to a daily feeding. The authors propose that retinal innervation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is required for development of cyclic metabolic homeostasis, but methodological issues limit interpretation of the results. Using standardized feeding schedules and procedures for distinguishing free-running from entrained circadian rhythms, we confirm that behavioral and metabolic rhythms in Pitx3ak mice do not entrain to LD cycles, but we find no impairment in circadian organization of metabolism with food available ad libitum and no impairment in entrainment of metabolic or behavioral rhythms by daily feeding schedules. This Matters Arising paper is in response to Del Río-Martín et al. (2019), published in Cell Reports. See also the response by Fernandez-Perez et al. (2022), published in this issue.

Dopamine transporter function fluctuates across sleep/wake state: potential impact for addiction

The dopamine transporter (DAT) has been implicated in a variety of arousal-related processes including the regulation of motor activity, learning, motivated behavior, psychostimulant abuse, and, more recently, sleep/wake state. We previously demonstrated that DAT uptake regulates fluctuations in extracellular dopamine (DA) in the striatum across the light/dark cycle with DA levels at their highest during the dark phase and lowest during the light phase. Despite this evidence, whether fluctuations in DA uptake across the light/dark cycle are associated with changes in sleep/wake has not been tested. To address this, we employed a combination of sleep/wake recordings, fast scan cyclic voltammetry, and western blotting to examine whether sleep/wake state and/or light/dark phase impact DA terminal neurotransmission in male rats. Further, we assessed whether variations in plasma membrane DAT levels and/or phosphorylation of the threonine 53 site on the DAT accounts for fluctuations in DA neurotransmission. Given the extensive evidence indicating that psychostimulants increase DA through interactions with the DAT, we also examined to what degree the effects of cocaine at inhibiting the DAT vary across sleep/wake state. Results demonstrated a significant association between individual sleep/wake states and DA terminal neurotransmission, with higher DA uptake rate, increased phosphorylation of the DAT, and enhanced cocaine potency observed after periods of sleep. These findings suggest that sleep/wake state influences DA neurotransmission in a manner that is likely to impact a host of DA-dependent processes including a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Type 1 dopamine receptor (D1R)-independent circadian food anticipatory activity in mice

Circadian rhythms are entrained by light and influenced by non-photic stimuli, such as feeding. The activity preceding scheduled mealtimes, food anticipatory activity (FAA), is elicited in rodents fed a limited amount at scheduled times. FAA is thought to be the output of an unidentified food entrained oscillator. Previous studies, using gene deletion and receptor pharmacology, implicated dopamine type receptor 1 (D1R) signaling in the dorsal striatum as necessary for FAA in mice. To further understand the role of D1R in promoting FAA, we utilized the Cre-lox system to create cell type-specific deletions of D1R, conditionally deleting D1R in GABA neurons using Vgat-ires-Cre line. This conditional deletion mutant had attenuated FAA, but the amount was higher than expected based on prior results using a constitutive knockout of D1R, D1R KO^Drago. This result prompted us to re-test the original D1R KO^Drago line, which expressed less FAA than controls, but only moderately so. To determine if genetic drift had diminished the effect of D1R deletion on FAA, we re-established the D1R KO^Drago knockout line from cryopreserved samples. The reestablished D1R KO^Drago-cryo had a clear impairment of FAA compared to controls, but still developed increased activity preceding mealtime across the 4 weeks of timed feeding. Finally, we tested a different deletion allele of D1R created by the Knockout Mouse Project. This line of D1R KO^KOMP mice had a significant impairment in the acquisition of FAA, but eventually reached similar levels of premeal activity compared to controls after 4 weeks of timed feeding. Taken together, our results suggest that D1R signaling promotes FAA, but other dopamine receptors likely contribute to FAA given that mice lacking the D1 receptor still retain some FAA.

Chrono-nutrition: From molecular and neuronal mechanisms to human epidemiology and timed feeding patterns

The circadian timing system governs daily biological rhythms, synchronising physiology and behaviour to the temporal world. External time cues, including the light-dark cycle and timing of food intake, provide daily signals for entrainment of the central, master circadian clock in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), and of metabolic rhythms in peripheral tissues, respectively. Chrono-nutrition is an emerging field building on the relationship between temporal eating patterns, circadian rhythms, and metabolic health. Evidence from both animal and human research demonstrates adverse metabolic consequences of circadian disruption. Conversely, a growing body of evidence indicates that aligning food intake to periods of the day when circadian rhythms in metabolic processes are optimised for nutrition may be effective for improving metabolic health. Circadian rhythms in glucose and lipid homeostasis, insulin responsiveness and sensitivity, energy expenditure, and postprandial metabolism, may favour eating patterns characterised by earlier temporal distribution of energy. This review details the molecular basis for metabolic clocks, the regulation of feeding behaviour, and the evidence for meal timing as an entraining signal for the circadian system in animal models. The epidemiology of temporal eating patterns in humans is examined, together with evidence from human intervention studies investigating the metabolic effects of morning compared to evening energy intake, and emerging chrono-nutrition interventions such as time-restricted feeding. Chrono-nutrition may have therapeutic application for individuals with and at-risk of metabolic disease and convey health benefits within the general population.

Food Anticipatory Activity on Circadian Time Scales Is Not Dependent on Central Serotonin: Evidence From Tryptophan Hydroxylase-2 and Serotonin Transporter Knockout Mice

A number of studies implicate biogenic amines in regulating circadian rhythms. In particular, dopamine and serotonin influence the entrainment of circadian rhythms to daily food availability. To study circadian entrainment to feeding, food availability is typically restricted to a short period within the light cycle daily. This results in a notable increase in pre-meal activity, termed "food anticipatory activity" (FAA), which typically develops within about 1 week of scheduled feeding. Several studies have implicated serotonin as a negative regulator of FAA: (1) aged rats treated with serotonin 5-HT2 and 3 receptor antagonists showed enhanced FAA, (2) mice lacking for the 2C serotonin receptor demonstrate enhanced FAA, and (3) pharmacologically increased serotonin levels suppressed FAA while decreased serotonin levels enhanced FAA in mice. We sought to confirm and extend these findings using genetic models with impairments in central serotonin production or re-uptake, but were surprised to find that both serotonin transporter (Slc6a4) and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 knockout mice demonstrated a normal behavioral response to timed, calorie restricted feeding. Our data suggest that FAA is largely independent of central serotonin and/or serotonin reuptake and that serotonin may not be a robust negative regulator of FAA.

Inexpensive Home Infrared Living/Environment Sensor with Regional Thermal Information for Infant Physical and Psychological Development

The use of home-based image sensors for biological and environmental monitoring provides novel insight into health and development but it is difficult to evaluate people during their normal activities in their home. Therefore, we developed a low-cost infrared (IR) technology-based motion, location, temperature and thermal environment detection system that can be used non-invasively for long-term studies in the home environment. We tested this technology along with the associated analysis algorithm to visualize the effects of parental care and thermal environment on developmental state change in a non-human primate model, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). To validate this system, we first compared it to a manual analysis technique and we then assessed the development of circadian rhythms in common marmosets from postnatal day 15–45. The semi-automatically tracked biological indices of locomotion velocity (BV) and body surface temperature (BT) and the potential psychological index of place preference toward the door (BD), showed age-dependent shifts in circadian phase patterns. Although environmental variables appeared to affect circadian rhythm development, principal component analysis and signal superimposing imaging methods revealed a novel phasic pattern of BD-BT correlation day/night switching in animals older than postnatal day 38 (approximately equivalent to one year of age in humans). The origin of this switch was related to earlier development of body temperature (BT) rhythms and alteration of psychological behavior rhythms (BD) around earlier feeding times. We propose that this cost-effective, inclusive sensing and analytic technique has value for understanding developmental care conditions for which continual home non-invasive monitoring would be beneficial and further suggest the potential to adapt this technique for use in humans.

Food anticipatory circadian rhythms in mice entrained to long or short day photoperiods

Food anticipatory activity (FAA) rhythms that emerge in nocturnal rodents fed once daily are mediated by food-entrainable circadian oscillators (FEOs) located outside of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the site of a circadian pacemaker required for entrainment to daily light-dark (LD) cycles. Specification of the neural and molecular substrates of FEOs driving FAA is complicated by homeostatic, hedonic and environmental factors that can modulate expression of activity independent of circadian timing. Here, we examined the effect of photoperiod (duration of the daily light period) on FAA in mice fed during the last 4 h or middle 4 h of the light period for at least 5 weeks. Long photoperiods decrease SCN pacemaker amplitude, which may favor expression of FAA during the day, when the SCN normally opposes activity in nocturnal rodents. To test this prediction, in Experiment 1, mice housed with or without running discs were entrained to 24 h LD cycles with 8 h (L8) or 16 h (L16) photoperiods. When food was restricted to the last 4 h of the light period (late-day), mice housed with running discs showed more FAA in L16, whereas mice without running discs showed more FAA in L8. In Experiment 2, mice were entrained to L8 or L16 photoperiods, and the 4 h daily meal was centered in the light period (mid-day). FAA was decreased relative to late-day fed mice, but did not vary by photoperiod. In Experiment 3, mice with or without running discs were entrained to L12 or L18 photoperiods, with mealtime centered in the light period. FAA again did not differ between photoperiods. In constant dark (DD) prior to food restriction, the period (τ) of free-running rhythms was shorter in mice entrained to long days. This known after-effect of photoperiod on τ was absent in DD immediately following restricted feeding. The phase of LD entrainment, unmasked on the first day of DD with food ad-libitum, was significantly advanced in mice from the late-day feeding schedule, compared to mice from the mid-day schedules. These results indicate that FAA in mice does not vary systematically with photoperiod, possibly because daytime feeding schedules attenuate the effect of photoperiod on the mouse SCN pacemaker. FAA in the present study was more strongly influenced by running disc availability and by meal time within the light period, possibly due to effects on LD entrainment, which was phase advanced by late-day but not midday feeding.

Association between oropharyngeal microbiome and weight gain in piglets during pre and post weaning life

Birth weight and subsequent weight gain is of critical importance in the survival and performance of piglets on a commercial swine farm setting. Oropharyngeal microbiome could influence immunity, and feeding behavior thus impacting health and weight gain. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile the composition and predicted metabolic functionality of the oropharyngeal microbiota in 8 piglets (4 with a birthweight ≤ 1.0 kg and 4 with a birthweight ≥ 1.7 kg) at 11, 26, and 63 days of age. We found 9 genera that were significantly associated with average daily gain (ADG) at 11 days (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05) and 26 days of age (FDR < 0.1), respectively. The microbial functional profile revealed several pathways associated with ADG (FDR < 0.05). Among these, pathways related to degradation of catechols showed a positive association with ADG at 11, 26, and 63 days of age, implying a potential to breakdown the host-derived catecholamines. We also noted that pathways related to the biodegradation of nucleosides and nucleotides increased with ADG during the pre-weaning phase, while those involved in their biosynthesis decreased. Our findings provide insights into the oropharyngeal microbial memberships and metabolic pathways that are involved in a piglet's weight gain. Thus, providing a basis for the development of strategies aimed at improving weight gain in pigs.

Food as circadian time cue for appetitive behavior

Feeding schedules entrain circadian clocks in multiple brain regions and most peripheral organs and tissues, thereby synchronizing daily rhythms of foraging behavior and physiology with times of day when food is most likely to be found. Entrainment of peripheral clocks to mealtime is accomplished by multiple feeding-related signals, including absorbed nutrients and metabolic hormones, acting in parallel or in series in a tissue-specific fashion. Less is known about the signals that synchronize circadian clocks in the brain with feeding time, some of which are presumed to generate the circadian rhythms of food-anticipatory activity that emerge when food is restricted to a fixed daily mealtime. In this commentary, I consider the possibility that food-anticipatory activity rhythms are driven or entrained by circulating ghrelin, ketone bodies or insulin. While evidence supports the potential of these signals to participate in the induction or amount of food-anticipatory behavior, it falls short of establishing either a necessary or sufficient role or accounting for circadian properties of anticipatory rhythms. The availability of multiple, circulating signals by which circadian oscillators in many brain regions might entrain to mealtime has supported a view that food-anticipatory rhythms of behavior are mediated by a broadly distributed system of clocks. The evidence, however, does not rule out the possibility that multiple peripheral and central food-entrained oscillators and feeding-related signals converge on circadian oscillators in a defined location which ultimately set the phase and gate the expression of anticipatory activity rhythms. A candidate location is the dorsal striatum, a core component of the neural system which mediates reward, motivation and action and which contains circadian oscillators entrainable by food and dopaminergic drugs. Systemic metabolic signals, such as ghrelin, ketones and insulin, may participate in circadian food anticipation to the extent that they modulate dopamine afferents to circadian clocks in this area.

The circadian regulation of food intake

Feeding, which is essential for all animals, is regulated by homeostatic mechanisms. In addition, food consumption is temporally coordinated by the brain over the circadian (~24 h) cycle. A network of circadian clocks set daily windows during which food consumption can occur. These daily windows mostly overlap with the active phase. Brain clocks that ensure the circadian control of food intake include a master light-entrainable clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus and secondary clocks in hypothalamic and brainstem regions. Metabolic hormones, circulating nutrients and visceral neural inputs transmit rhythmic cues that permit (via close and reciprocal molecular interactions that link metabolic processes and circadian clockwork) brain and peripheral organs to be synchronized to feeding time. As a consequence of these complex interactions, growing evidence shows that chronodisruption and mistimed eating have deleterious effects on metabolic health. Conversely, eating, even eating an unbalanced diet, during the normal active phase reduces metabolic disturbances. Therefore, in addition to energy intake and dietary composition, appropriately timed meal patterns are critical to prevent circadian desynchronization and limit metabolic risks. This Review provides insight into the dual modulation of food intake by homeostatic and circadian processes, describes the mechanisms regulating feeding time and highlights the beneficial effects of correctly timed eating, as opposed to the negative metabolic consequences of mistimed eating.

Circadian entrainment by food and drugs of abuse

Circadian rhythms organize behavior and physiological processes to be appropriate to the predictable cycle of daily events. These rhythms are entrained by stimuli that provide time of day cues (zeitgebers), such as light, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle and associated rhythms. But other events, including meals, social cues, and bouts of locomotor activity, can act as zeitgebers. Recent evidence shows that most organs and tissues contain cells that are capable of some degree of independent circadian cycling, suggesting the circadian system is broadly and diffusely distributed. Within laboratory studies of behavior, circadian rhythms tend to be treated as a complication to be minimized, but they offer a useful model of predictable shifts in behavioral tendencies. In the present review, we summarize the evidence that formed the basis for a hypothesis that drugs of abuse can entrain circadian rhythms and describe the outcome of a series of experiments designed to test that hypothesis. We propose that such drug-entrained rhythms may contribute to demonstrated daily variations in drug metabolism, tolerance, and sensitivity to drug reward. Of particular importance, these rhythms may be evoked by a single episode of drug taking, strengthen with repeated episodes, and re-emerge after long periods of abstinence, thereby contributing to drug abuse, addiction, and relapse.

Dorsal striatum dopamine oscillations: Setting the pace of food anticipatory activity

Predicting the uncertainties of the ever-changing environment provides a competitive advantage for animals. The need to anticipate food sources has provided a strong evolutionary drive for synchronizing behavioural and internal processes with daily circadian cycles. When food is restricted to a few hours per day, rodents exhibit increased wakefulness and foraging behaviour preceding the arrival of food. Interestingly, while the master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus entrains daily rhythms to the light cycle, it is not necessary for this food anticipatory activity. This suggests the existence of a food-entrained oscillator located elsewhere. Based on the role of nigrostriatal dopamine in reward processing, motor function, working memory and internal timekeeping, we propose a working model by which food-entrained dopamine oscillations in the dorsal striatum can enable animals maintained on a restricted feeding schedule to anticipate food arrival. Finally, we summarize how metabolic signals in the gut are conveyed to the nigrostriatal pathway to suggest possible insight into potential input mechanisms for food anticipatory activity.

Overexpression of striatal D2 receptors reduces motivation thereby decreasing food anticipatory activity

Dopamine has been implicated in circadian timing underlying the food entrainable oscillator (FEO) circuitry and overexpression of the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) in the striatum has been reported to reduce motivation to obtain food rewards in operant tasks. In the present study, we explored both of these mechanisms by examining food anticipatory activity (FAA) in dopamine D2 receptor-overexpressing (D2R-OE) mice under various durations of food availability. First, we noted that at baseline, there were no differences between D2R-OE mice and their littermates in activity level, food intake, and body weight or in circadian activity. Under conditions of very restricted food availability (4 or 6 hr), both genotypes displayed FAA. In contrast, under 8-hr food availability, control mice showed FAA, but D2R-OE mice did not. Normalization of D2R by administration of doxycycline, a tetracycline analogue, rescued FAA under 8-hr restricted food. We next tested for circadian regulation of FAA. When given ad libitum access to food, neither D2R-OE nor controls were active during the daytime. However, after an interval of food restriction, all mice showed elevated locomotor activity at the time of previous food availability in the day, indicating circadian timing of anticipatory activity. In summary, motivation is reduced in D2R-OE mice but circadian timing behavior is not affected. We conclude that an increase in striatal D2R reduces FAA by modulating motivation and not by acting on a clock mechanism.

Neural and Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Controlling the Quality of Feeding Behavior: Diet Selection and Feeding Patterns

We are what we eat. There are three aspects of feeding: what, when, and how much. These aspects represent the quantity (how much) and quality (what and when) of feeding. The quantitative aspect of feeding has been studied extensively, because weight is primarily determined by the balance between caloric intake and expenditure. In contrast, less is known about the mechanisms that regulate the qualitative aspects of feeding, although they also significantly impact the control of weight and health. However, two aspects of feeding quality relevant to weight loss and weight regain are discussed in this review: macronutrient-based diet selection (what) and feeding pattern (when). This review covers the importance of these two factors in controlling weight and health, and the central mechanisms that regulate them. The relatively limited and fragmented knowledge on these topics indicates that we lack an integrated understanding of the qualitative aspects of feeding behavior. To promote better understanding of weight control, research efforts must focus more on the mechanisms that control the quality and quantity of feeding behavior. This understanding will contribute to improving dietary interventions for achieving weight control and for preventing weight regain following weight loss.

Dopamine D2 receptors and the circadian clock reciprocally mediate antipsychotic drug-induced metabolic disturbances

Antipsychotic drugs are widely prescribed medications, used for numerous psychiatric illnesses. However, antipsychotic drugs cause serious metabolic side effects that can lead to substantial weight gain and increased risk for type 2 diabetes. While individual drugs differ, all antipsychotic drugs may cause these important side effects to varying degrees. Given that the single unifying property shared by these medications is blockade of dopamine D₂ and D₃ receptors, these receptors likely play a role in antipsychotic drug-induced metabolic side effects. Dopamine D₂ and dopamine D₃ receptors are expressed in brain regions critical for metabolic regulation and appetite. Surprisingly, these receptors are also expressed peripherally in insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells. By inhibiting glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, dopamine D₂ and dopamine D₃ receptors are important mediators of pancreatic insulin release. Crucially, antipsychotic drugs disrupt this peripheral metabolic regulatory mechanism. At the same time, disruptions to circadian timing have been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for metabolic disturbance. Reciprocal dopamine and circadian signaling is important for the timing of appetitive/feeding behaviors and insulin release, thereby coordinating cell metabolism with caloric intake. In particular, circadian regulation of dopamine D₂ receptor/dopamine D₃ receptor signaling may play a critical role in metabolism. Therefore, we propose that antipsychotic drugs’ blockade of dopamine D₂ receptor and dopamine D₃ receptors in pancreatic beta cells, hypothalamus, and striatum disrupts the cellular timing mechanisms that regulate metabolism. Ultimately, understanding the relationships between the dopamine system and circadian clocks may yield critical new biological insights into mechanisms of antipsychotic drug action, which can then be applied into clinical practice.

Dopamine dependent setting of a circadian oscillator underlying the memory for time of day

Animals learn and remember the time of day that significant conditions occur, and anticipate recurrence at 24-h intervals, even after only one exposure to the condition. On several place-conditioning tasks, animals show context avoidance or preference only near the time of day of the experience. The memory for time of day is registered by a circadian oscillator that is set at the time of the training. We show that manipulations of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission can set a time memory in place preference and avoidance tasks, indicating that time of day is part of the context that is learned. Single injections of the DA agonist, d-amphetamine sulfate given without further exposure to the conditioning apparatus, can reset the timing of anticipatory behavior evoked by previously acquired place-event associations. The data support a model for time memory in which DA signaling sets the phase of a circadian oscillator, which returns to the same state at regular 24-h intervals. The data also raise the possibility that some apparent impairments of memory formation or retention could reflect post-experience resetting of the optimal retrieval time rather than impairment of memory or retrieval per se.

Exploring the role of locomotor sensitization in the circadian food entrainment pathway

Food entrainment is the internal mechanism whereby the phase and period of circadian clock genes comes under the control of daily scheduled food availability. Food entrainment allows the body to efficiently realign the internal timing of behavioral and physiological functions such that they anticipate food intake. Food entrainment can occur with or without caloric restriction, as seen with daily schedules of restricted feeding (RF) or restricted treat (RT) that restrict food or treat intake to a single feeding time. However, the extent of clock gene control is more pronounced with caloric restriction, highlighting the role of energy balance in regulating clock genes. Recent studies have implicated dopamine (DA) to be involved in food entrainment and caloric restriction is known to affect dopaminergic pathways to enhance locomotor activity. Since food entrainment results in the development of a distinct behavioral component, called food anticipatory activity (FAA), we examined the role of locomotor sensitization (LS) in food entrainment by 1) observing whether amphetamine (AMPH) sensitization results in enhanced locomotor output of FAA and 2) measuring LS of circadian and non-circadian feeding paradigms to an acute injection of AMPH (AMPH cross-sensitization). Unexpectedly, AMPH sensitization did not show enhancement of FAA. On the contrary, LS did develop with sufficient exposure to RF. LS was present after 2 weeks of RF, but not after 1, 3 or 7 days into RF. When food was returned and rats regain their original body weight at 10-15 days post-RF, LS remained present. LS did not develop to RT, nor to feedings of a non-circadian schedule, e.g. variable restricted feeding (VRF) or variable RT (VRT). Further, when RF was timed to the dark period, LS was observed only when tested at night; RF timed to the light period resulted in LS that was present during day and night. Taken together our results show that LS develops with food entrainment to RF, an effect that is dependent on the chronicity and circadian phase of RF but independent of body weight. Given that LS involves reorganization of DA-regulated motor circuitry, our work provides indirect support for the role of DA in the food entrainment pathway of RF. The findings also suggest differences in neuronal pathways involved in LS from AMPH sensitization and LS from RF.

Temporal variations in presynaptic release probability in the lateral habenula

Rhythmicity plays an important role in a number of biological systems. The habenular complex is reported to contain an intrinsic molecular clock and to show rhythmic expression of circadian clock genes and proteins including per2/PER2. In this study, we observed that there is a temporal rhythmicity in the presynaptic efficacy of the lateral habenula (LHb) neurons. We collected a substantial number of recordings at different time points of the day during the light phase. The frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory transmission were increased in the afternoon compared to recordings performed in the morning. In addition, the paired-pulse ratio and the success rate of minimal stimulation were also significantly different depending on the time of the recording. We did not see any significant differences in recordings obtained from pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus in the same brain slices. Taken together, our data indicates that the LHb exhibits intrinsic temporal oscillation in basal neurotransmission and in presynaptic release probability. Given the rapidly growing interest on the function of the LHb, more careful examination of synaptic transmission in the LHb is thus required.

Circadian Rhythms in Diet-Induced Obesity

The biological clocks of the circadian timing system coordinate cellular and physiological processes and synchronizes these with daily cycles, feeding patterns also regulates circadian clocks. The clock genes and adipocytokines show circadian rhythmicity. Dysfunction of these genes are involved in the alteration of these adipokines during the development of obesity. Food availability promotes the stimuli associated with food intake which is a circadian oscillator outside of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Its circadian rhythm is arranged with the predictable daily mealtimes. Food anticipatory activity is mediated by a self-sustained circadian timing and its principal component is food entrained oscillator. However, the hypothalamus has a crucial role in the regulation of energy balance rather than food intake. Fatty acids or their metabolites can modulate neuronal activity by brain nutrient-sensing neurons involved in the regulation of energy and glucose homeostasis. The timing of three-meal schedules indicates close association with the plasma levels of insulin and preceding food availability. Desynchronization between the central and peripheral clocks by altered timing of food intake and diet composition can lead to uncoupling of peripheral clocks from the central pacemaker and to the development of metabolic disorders. Metabolic dysfunction is associated with circadian disturbances at both central and peripheral levels and, eventual disruption of circadian clock functioning can lead to obesity. While CLOCK expression levels are increased with high fat diet-induced obesity, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha increases the transcriptional level of brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 (BMAL1) in obese subjects. Consequently, disruption of clock genes results in dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and obesity. Modifying the time of feeding alone can greatly affect body weight. Changes in the circadian clock are associated with temporal alterations in feeding behavior and increased weight gain. Thus, shift work is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases as a result of unusual eating time and disruption of circadian rhythm.

Dietary fat and corticosterone levels are contributing factors to meal anticipation

Daily restricted access to food leads to the development of food anticipatory activity and metabolism, which depends upon an as yet unidentified food-entrainable oscillator(s). A premeal anticipatory peak in circulating hormones, including corticosterone is also elicited by daily restricted feeding. High-fat feeding is associated with elevated levels of corticosterone with disrupted circadian rhythms and a failure to develop robust meal anticipation. It is not clear whether the disrupted corticosterone rhythm, resulting from high-fat feeding contributes to attenuated meal anticipation in high-fat fed rats. Our aim was to better characterize meal anticipation in rats fed a low- or high-fat diet, and to better understand the role of corticosterone in this process. To this end, we utilized behavioral observations, hypothalamic c-Fos expression, and indirect calorimetry to assess meal entrainment. We also used the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU486, to dissect out the role of corticosterone in meal anticipation in rats given daily access to a meal with different fat content. Restricted access to a low-fat diet led to robust meal anticipation, as well as entrainment of hypothalamic c-Fos expression, metabolism, and circulating corticosterone. These measures were significantly attenuated in response to a high-fat diet, and animals on this diet exhibited a postanticipatory rise in corticosterone. Interestingly, antagonism of glucocorticoid activity using RU486 attenuated meal anticipation in low-fat fed rats, but promoted meal anticipation in high-fat-fed rats. These findings suggest an important role for corticosterone in the regulation of meal anticipation in a manner dependent upon dietary fat content.

Ultrasonic vocalizations in rats anticipating circadian feeding schedules

Rats readily learn to anticipate a reward signaled by an external stimulus. Anticipatory behaviors evoked by conditioned stimuli include 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), a proposed behavioral correlate of positive affect and activation of midbrain dopamine pathways. Rats can also anticipate a reward, such as food, provided once daily, without external cueing. Anticipation of a daily reward exhibits formal properties of a circadian rhythm. The neural circuits that regulate the timing and amplitude of these rhythms remain an open question, but evidence suggests a role for dopamine. To gain further insight into the neural and affective correlates of circadian food anticipatory rhythms, we made 2h and 24h USV recordings in rats fed 2h/day in the light period, a procedure that induces robust anticipation 2-3h before mealtime. Potential interactions between internal and external time cues in USV production were evaluated by inclusion of a 3 kHz tone 15 min before mealtime. Prior to scheduled feeding, spontaneous 50 kHz USVs were rare during the light period. During scheduled feeding, flat and frequency modulated (FM) 50kHz USVs occurred prior to and during mealtime. FM USVs were more closely related to anticipation, while flat USVs were more dependent on food access. USVs also occurred during spontaneous waking at other times of day. The tone did not evoke USVs but did modulate activity. Behavioral anticipation of a daily meal is accompanied by USVs consistent with a positive affective state and elevated dopamine transmission.

Circadian Insights into Motivated Behavior

For an organism to be successful in an evolutionary sense, it and its offspring must survive. Such survival depends on satisfying a number of needs that are driven by motivated behaviors, such as eating, sleeping, and mating. An individual can usually only pursue one motivated behavior at a time. The circadian system provides temporal structure to the organism's 24 hour day, partitioning specific behaviors to particular times of the day. The circadian system also allows anticipation of opportunities to engage in motivated behaviors that occur at predictable times of the day. Such anticipation enhances fitness by ensuring that the organism is physiologically ready to make use of a time-limited resource as soon as it becomes available. This could include activation of the sympathetic nervous system to transition from sleep to wake, or to engage in mating, or to activate of the parasympathetic nervous system to facilitate transitions to sleep, or to prepare the body to digest a meal. In addition to enabling temporal partitioning of motivated behaviors, the circadian system may also regulate the amplitude of the drive state motivating the behavior. For example, the circadian clock modulates not only when it is time to eat, but also how hungry we are. In this chapter we explore the physiology of our circadian clock and its involvement in a number of motivated behaviors such as sleeping, eating, exercise, sexual behavior, and maternal behavior. We also examine ways in which dysfunction of circadian timing can contribute to disease states, particularly in psychiatric conditions that include adherent motivational states.

A highly tunable dopaminergic oscillator generates ultradian rhythms of behavioral arousal

Ultradian (∼4 hr) rhythms in locomotor activity that do not depend on the master circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus have been observed across mammalian species, however, the underlying mechanisms driving these rhythms are unknown. We show that disruption of the dopamine transporter gene lengthens the period of ultradian locomotor rhythms in mice. Period lengthening also results from chemogenetic activation of midbrain dopamine neurons and psychostimulant treatment, while the antipsychotic haloperidol has the opposite effect. We further reveal that striatal dopamine levels fluctuate in synchrony with ultradian activity cycles and that dopaminergic tone strongly predicts ultradian period. Our data indicate that an arousal regulating, dopaminergic ultradian oscillator (DUO) operates in the mammalian brain, which normally cycles in harmony with the circadian clock, but can desynchronize when dopamine tone is elevated, thereby producing aberrant patterns of arousal which are strikingly similar to perturbed sleep-wake cycles comorbid with psychopathology.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05105.001

The sleep-wake cycle of mammals is controlled by a ‘circadian clock’ within the brain, which is synchronized to the day–night cycle. However, other aspects of mammalian physiology including alertness and activity levels, as well as appetite and body temperature—fluctuate in cycles that repeat every few hours. These cycles are known as ultradian rhythms, and they may offer survival benefits by enabling potentially risky behaviors, such as foraging, to be coordinated between members of a group.

Despite their widespread nature and the fact that they appear to be conserved in evolution, virtually nothing is known about the molecular basis of ultradian rhythms. Blum et al. have now identified a second internal clock within the brain, which they name ‘the DUO’, and shown that this clock normally works in concert with the circadian clock to regulate daily patterns of activity and alertness.

Experiments in mice revealed that the DUO uses the brain chemical dopamine to generate bursts of activity roughly every four hours. Moreover, it continues to work when the circadian clock has been destroyed. Measurements of dopamine in freely moving mice showed that levels of the chemical fluctuate in synchrony with the animals' activity levels. Moreover, drugs that flood the brain with dopamine, such as methamphetamine, disrupt the 4-hour cycle by lengthening the period between bursts of activity, whereas drugs that block dopamine receptors have the opposite effect.

As well as revealing a mechanism by which the brain coordinates processes that repeat several times per day, the identification of the DUO could also provide insights into the biological basis of psychiatric disorders. Conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are often accompanied by disturbances in patterns of activity and rest. While these have previously been attributed to the disruption of circadian rhythms, there is little direct evidence for this, which raises the possibility that these changes might instead reflect the disruption of ultradian rhythms.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05105.002

Circadian insights into dopamine mechanisms

Almost every physiological or behavioral process in mammals follows rhythmic patterns, which depend mainly on a master circadian clock located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The dopaminergic (DAergic) system in the brain is principally implicated in motor functions, motivation and drug intake. Interestingly, DA-related parameters and behaviors linked to the motivational and arousal states, show daily rhythms that could be regulated by the SCN or by extra-SCN circadian oscillator(s) modulating DAergic systems. Here we examine what is currently understood about the anatomical and functional central multi-oscillatory circadian system, highlighting how the main SCN clock communicates timing information with other brain clocks to regulate the DAergic system and conversely, how DAergic cues may have feedback effects on the SCN. These studies give new insights into the role of the brain circadian system in DA-related neurologic pathologies, such as Parkinson's disease, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder and drug addiction.

Dopamine receptor 1 neurons in the dorsal striatum regulate food anticipatory circadian activity rhythms in mice

Daily rhythms of food anticipatory activity (FAA) are regulated independently of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which mediates entrainment of rhythms to light, but the neural circuits that establish FAA remain elusive. In this study, we show that mice lacking the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R KO mice) manifest greatly reduced FAA, whereas mice lacking the dopamine D2 receptor have normal FAA. To determine where dopamine exerts its effect, we limited expression of dopamine signaling to the dorsal striatum of dopamine-deficient mice; these mice developed FAA. Within the dorsal striatum, the daily rhythm of clock gene period2 expression was markedly suppressed in D1R KO mice. Pharmacological activation of D1R at the same time daily was sufficient to establish anticipatory activity in wild-type mice. These results demonstrate that dopamine signaling to D1R-expressing neurons in the dorsal striatum plays an important role in manifestation of FAA, possibly by synchronizing circadian oscillators that modulate motivational processes and behavioral output.