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Viljoen A, Oosthuizen MK. Dim light at night affects the locomotor activity of nocturnal African pygmy mice ( Mus minutoides) in an intensity-dependent manner. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230526. [PMID: 37072046 PMCID: PMC10113032 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Rodents are integral components of ecosystems as they provide several important ecosystem services. Despite their importance as prey, pollinators and seed distributors, African rodents are largely understudied. The effect of anthropogenic changes such as artificial light at night extends past urban areas to peri-urban and rural habitats, and can have profound effects on entire ecosystems. We investigated the effect of dim light at night (dLAN) on the locomotor activity rhythms of the African pygmy mouse (Mus minutoides). Pygmy mice showed a dramatic, intensity-dependent reduction in their locomotor activity when subjected to dLAN, which was accompanied by a delay in the activity onset. We also considered masking responses with a dark pulse (DP) during the day and a light pulse at night. All animals became inactive in response to a light pulse during the night, whereas approximately half of the animals showed activity during a DP in the day. Our results suggest that the African pygmy mouse is highly sensitive to light and that their activity is strongly masked by light. In their natural environment, vegetation could shield pygmy mice against high light levels; however, other anthropogenic disturbances can alter the behaviour of these animals and could affect their survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Viljoen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - M. K. Oosthuizen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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2
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Bilu C, Einat H, Zimmet P, Kronfeld-Schor N. Circadian rhythms-related disorders in diurnal fat sand rats under modern lifestyle conditions: A review. Front Physiol 2022; 13:963449. [PMID: 36160856 PMCID: PMC9489903 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.963449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern lifestyle reduces environmental rhythmicity and may lead to circadian desynchrony. We are exposed to poor day-time lighting indoors and excessive night-time artificial light. We use air-conditioning to reduce ambient temperature cycle, and food is regularly available at all times. These disruptions of daily rhythms may lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), depression and anxiety, all of which impose major public health and economic burden on societies. Therefore, we need appropriate animal models to gain a better understanding of their etiologic mechanisms, prevention, and management.We argue that the fat sand rat (Psammomys obesus), a diurnal animal model, is most suitable for studying the effects of modern-life conditions. Numerous attributes make it an excellent model to study human health disorders including T2DM, CMD, depression and anxiety. Here we review a comprehensive series of studies we and others conducted, utilizing the fat sand rat to study the underlying interactions between biological rhythms and health. Understanding these interactions will help deciphering the biological basis of these diseases, which often occur concurrently. We found that when kept in the laboratory (compared with natural and semi-wild outdoors conditions where they are diurnal), fat sand rats show low amplitude, nocturnal or arrhythmic activity patterns, dampened daily glucose rhythm, glucose intolerance, obesity and decreased survival rates. Short photoperiod acclimation exacerbates these pathologies and further dampens behavioral and molecular daily rhythms, resulting in CMD, T2DM, obesity, adipocyte dysfunction, cataracts, depression and anxiety. Increasing environmental rhythmicity by morning bright light exposure or by access to running wheels strengthens daily rhythms, and results in higher peak-to-trough difference in activity, better rhythmicity in clock genes expression, lower blood glucose and insulin levels, improved glucose tolerance, lower body and heart weight, and lower anxiety and depression. In summary, we have demonstrated that fat sand rats living under the correspondent of “human modern lifestyle” conditions exhibit dampened behavioral and biological rhythms and develop circadian desynchrony, which leads to what we have named “The Circadian Syndrome”. Environmental manipulations that increase rhythmicity result in improvement or prevention of these pathologies. Similar interventions in human subjects could have the same positive results and further research on this should be undertaken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- *Correspondence: Carmel Bilu,
| | - Haim Einat
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Paul Zimmet
- Department of Diabetes, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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3
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Gall AJ, Shuboni-Mulligan DD. Keep Your Mask On: The Benefits of Masking for Behavior and the Contributions of Aging and Disease on Dysfunctional Masking Pathways. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:911153. [PMID: 36017187 PMCID: PMC9395722 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.911153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental cues (e.g., light-dark cycle) have an immediate and direct effect on behavior, but these cues are also capable of “masking” the expression of the circadian pacemaker, depending on the type of cue presented, the time-of-day when they are presented, and the temporal niche of the organism. Masking is capable of complementing entrainment, the process by which an organism is synchronized to environmental cues, if the cues are presented at an expected or predictable time-of-day, but masking can also disrupt entrainment if the cues are presented at an inappropriate time-of-day. Therefore, masking is independent of but complementary to the biological circadian pacemaker that resides within the brain (i.e., suprachiasmatic nucleus) when exogenous stimuli are presented at predictable times of day. Importantly, environmental cues are capable of either inducing sleep or wakefulness depending on the organism’s temporal niche; therefore, the same presentation of a stimulus can affect behavior quite differently in diurnal vs. nocturnal organisms. There is a growing literature examining the neural mechanisms underlying masking behavior based on the temporal niche of the organism. However, the importance of these mechanisms in governing the daily behaviors of mammals and the possible implications on human health have been gravely overlooked even as modern society enables the manipulation of these environmental cues. Recent publications have demonstrated that the effects of masking weakens significantly with old age resulting in deleterious effects on many behaviors, including sleep and wakefulness. This review will clearly outline the history, definition, and importance of masking, the environmental cues that induce the behavior, the neural mechanisms that drive them, and the possible implications for human health and medicine. New insights about how masking is affected by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, temporal niche, and age will be discussed as each relates to human health. The overarching goals of this review include highlighting the importance of masking in the expression of daily rhythms, elucidating the impact of aging, discussing the relationship between dysfunctional masking behavior and the development of sleep-related disorders, and considering the use of masking as a non-invasive treatment to help treat humans suffering from sleep-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Gall
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrew J. Gall,
| | - Dorela D. Shuboni-Mulligan
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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4
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Bilu C, Einat H, Zimmet P, Vishnevskia-Dai V, Schwartz WJ, Kronfeld-Schor N. Beneficial effects of voluntary wheel running on activity rhythms, metabolic state, and affect in a diurnal model of circadian disruption. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2434. [PMID: 35165331 PMCID: PMC8844006 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06408-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that disruption of circadian rhythmicity contributes to development of comorbid depression, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Physical exercise synchronizes the circadian system and has ameliorating effects on the depression- and anxiety-like phenotype induced by circadian disruption in mice and sand rats. We explored the beneficial effects of voluntary wheel running on daily rhythms, and the development of depression, T2DM, and CVD in a diurnal animal model, the fat sand rat (Psammomys obesus). Voluntary exercise strengthened general activity rhythms, improved memory and lowered anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, enhanced oral glucose tolerance, and decreased plasma insulin levels and liver weight. Animals with access to a running wheel had larger heart weight and heart/body weight ratio, and thicker left ventricular wall. Our results demonstrate that exercising ameliorates pathological-like daily rhythms in activity and blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance and depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in the sand rat model, supporting the important role of physical activity in modulating the “circadian syndrome” and circadian rhythm-related diseases. We suggest that the utilization of a diurnal rodent animal model may offer an effective way to further explore metabolic, cardiovascular, and affective-like behavioral changes related to chronodisruption and their underlying mechanisms.
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Effects of photoperiod and diet on BDNF daily rhythms in diurnal sand rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 418:113666. [PMID: 34808195 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its receptors and epigenetic modulators, are implicated in the pathophysiology of affective disorders, T2DM and the circadian system function. We used diurnal sand rats, which develop type 2 diabetes (T2DM), anxiety and depressive-like behavior under laboratory conditions. The development of these disorders is accelerated when animals are maintained under short photoperiod (5:19L:D, SP) compared to neutral photoperiod (12:12L:D, NP). We compared rhythms in plasma BDNF as well as BDNF and PER2 expression in the frontal cortex and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of sand rats acclimated to SP and NP. Acclimation to SP resulted in higher insulin levels, significantly higher glucose levels in the glucose tolerance test, and significantly higher anxiety- and depression-like behaviors compared with animals acclimated to NP. NP Animals exhibited a significant daily rhythm in plasma BDNF levels with higher levels during the night, and in BDNF expression levels in the frontal cortex and SCN. No significant BDNF rhythm was found in the plasma, frontal cortex or SCN of SP acclimated animals. We propose that in sand rats, BDNF may, at least in part, mediate the effects of circadian disruption on the development of anxiety and depressive-like behavior and T2DM.
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Bilu C, Kronfeld-Schor N, Zimmet P, Einat H. Sex differences in the response to circadian disruption in diurnal sand rats. Chronobiol Int 2021; 39:169-185. [PMID: 34711113 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1989448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Most animal model studies on physiological functions and pathologies are conducted in males. However, diseases such as depression, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease, all show different prevalence and characteristics in females and males. Moreover, most mammal studies are conducted in nocturnal mice and rats, while modelling diurnal humans. We therefore used male and female fat sand rats (Psammomys obesus), which are diurnal in the wild, as an animal model for T2DM, to explore the effects of mild circadian disruption on behavior, glucose tolerance, cholesterol and heart weight. We found significant differences between the sexes: on average, in response to short photoperiods (SP) acclimation, males showed higher levels of depression-like behavior, lower glucose tolerance, and increased plasma cholesterol levels compared with females, with no effect on heart/body weight ratio. Females, however did show an increase in heart/body weight ratio in response to SP acclimation. We also found that regardless of sex, arrhythmic animals showed higher blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, heart/body weight ratio, and depressive-like behavior compared with rhythmic animals. Hence, we suggest that the expression of the Circadian Syndrome could be different between males and females. Additional work with females is required to clearly delineate the specific effects in both sexes, and promote sex-based health care, prevention measures and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Noga Kronfeld-Schor
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Paul Zimmet
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Haim Einat
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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7
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Sonker P, Cherukalady R, Singaravel M. Effect of periodic social interaction and odour presentation of same and opposite-sex conspecifics on free-running mice. Chronobiol Int 2021; 38:1714-1725. [PMID: 34192991 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1941075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social interaction, a non-photic cue, plays a role in the synchronization of circadian rhythm under constant environmental conditions. However, little is known about the effect of sex-specific interaction and sex-specific odor on the free-running circadian clock of mice. Hence, in the present study, we investigated the effect of social interaction and odor presentation of same and opposite-sex conspecifics on the free-running rhythm of mice. In this investigation, stranger and dummy mice (saturated with either male- or female-associated odor) were separately exposed to the same and opposite-sex conspecifics of male and female runners and receivers, respectively for 30 min at CT15 for 10-12 d. The results showed that the daily exposure of runners with same and opposite-sex strangers entrained the free-running locomotor activity rhythm in a gender-specific manner. However, daily exposure of same and opposite-sex conspecific odors masked the circadian rhythm of receiver animals by increasing the activity. Further, social interaction and odor presentation caused lengthened and shortened period length, respectively. These results suggest that periodic social interactions can produce entrainment and conspecific odor can produce only masking on free-running circadian locomotor activity rhythm in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratishtha Sonker
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Rajeev Cherukalady
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Muniyandi Singaravel
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
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Shankar A, Williams CT. The darkness and the light: diurnal rodent models for seasonal affective disorder. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:dmm047217. [PMID: 33735098 PMCID: PMC7859703 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.047217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of animal models is a critical step for exploring the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of major affective disorders and for evaluating potential therapeutic approaches. Although most neuropsychiatric research is performed on nocturnal rodents, differences in how diurnal and nocturnal animals respond to changing photoperiods, combined with a possible link between circadian rhythm disruption and affective disorders, has led to a call for the development of diurnal animal models. The need for diurnal models is most clear for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a widespread recurrent depressive disorder that is linked to exposure to short photoperiods. Here, we briefly review what is known regarding the etiology of SAD and then examine progress in developing appropriate diurnal rodent models. Although circadian disruption is often invoked as a key contributor to SAD, a mechanistic understanding of how misalignment between endogenous circadian physiology and daily environmental rhythms affects mood is lacking. Diurnal rodents show promise as models of SAD, as changes in affective-like behaviors are induced in response to short photoperiods or dim-light conditions, and symptoms can be ameliorated by brief exposure to intervals of bright light coincident with activity onset. One exciting avenue of research involves the orexinergic system, which regulates functions that are disturbed in SAD, including sleep cycles, the reward system, feeding behavior, monoaminergic neurotransmission and hippocampal neurogenesis. However, although diurnal models make intuitive sense for the study of SAD and are more likely to mimic circadian disruption, their utility is currently hampered by a lack of genomic resources needed for the molecular interrogation of potential mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Shankar
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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9
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Beneficial effects of daytime high-intensity light exposure on daily rhythms, metabolic state and affect. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19782. [PMID: 33188227 PMCID: PMC7666121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76636-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the importance of the circadian system to health and well-being is extensively studied, the role of daylight exposure in these interactions is relatively poorly understood. Here we show, using a diurnal animal model naturally exposed to daylight, that daily morning exposure to 3000 lux, full spectrum electric light has beneficial health effects. Compared with controls, sand rats (Psammomys obesus) subjected to morning light treatment demonstrate daily rhythms with high peak to trough difference in activity, blood glucose levels and per2 gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, pre-frontal cortex, kidney and liver. The treated animals were also healthier, being normoglycemic, having higher glucose tolerance, lower body and heart weight and lower anxiety- and depression-like behavior. Our results suggest that exposure to high intensity light is important for the proper function of the circadian system and well-being, and are important in face of human's low exposure to daylight and extensive use of artificial light at night.
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10
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Kumar D, Soni SK, Kronfeld-Schor N, Singaravel M. Wheel-running activity rhythms and masking responses in the diurnal palm squirrel, Funambulus pennantii. Chronobiol Int 2020; 37:1693-1708. [PMID: 33044096 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1826959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have reported activity patterns of various diurnal species from the order Rodentia, in which most of the species are nocturnal. Most of these studies have been performed under controlled laboratory conditions. These studies found that most of these species change their activity patterns when held under laboratory conditions, have a diverse masking response to light, and their activity pattern is influenced by the presence of a running wheel. Squirrels are reported to be strictly diurnal both in the field as well as in laboratory settings, and, therefore, form an interesting species to study to better understand the switch to diurnality. The aim of the current study is to characterize the masking response and temporal organization of wheel-running activity rhythms in the palm squirrel, Funambulus pennantii, under semi-natural (NLD) and controlled laboratory conditions using different lighting schedules. Squirrels were housed individually in a resting cage with running wheel under NLD (n = 10) and squared 12:12 h of light-dark cycle (LD) (n = 20). After stable entrainment under the LD condition, squirrels were divided into two groups. One group was housed under constant darkness (DD) (n = 10) and another group under constant light (LL) (n = 10). Following the stable free-running rhythm under DD and LL, the LD condition was reinforced. The kinetics of the endogenous pacemaker was studied following a 6 h phase advance or delay of LD cycle. Further, palm squirrels were subjected to a 3.5: 3.5 h LD cycle to evaluate the masking response to light and dark. Squirrels demonstrated stable, clear, robust, and strict diurnal activity rhythm during NLD and LD. In DD and LL, F. pennantii free-ran from the phase of the previous LD cycle, and the free-running period was longer in LL than in DD. The percentage of activity during the light phase was significantly higher in NLD and LD (above 96%) compared to activity during the subjective day in the DD and LL conditions (above 91%). The alpha/rho ratio was significantly higher in the LL compared to other lighting schedules. Further, all ten squirrels re-entrained to both 6 h advance and delay shifts within 11 days. In the ultradian cycle, significant positive masking of light was evident in nine of ten squirrels. These results suggest that the: (i) circadian system of F. pennantii is stable and functional under various lighting conditions; (ii) basic temporal organization in activity pattern remained unaltered even in the presence of a running wheel; (iii) diurnality is the inherent trait of F. pennantii, and (iv) behavioral activity rhythms are governed by both the circadian clock and external masking. Thus, palm squirrels can be used as a suitable diurnal model in circadian biology to study the underlying mechanisms of diurnality and effects of different light schedules, wavelengths, and non-photic cues on physiological and behavioral parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhanananajay Kumar
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi, India.,Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) , Varanasi, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Soni
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi, India
| | - Noga Kronfeld-Schor
- Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University , Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Muniyandi Singaravel
- Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University , Varanasi, India
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11
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Ackermann S, Bennett NC, Oosthuizen MK. The effect of varying laboratory conditions on the locomotor activity of the nocturnal Namaqua rock mouse (Micaelamys namaquensis) and the diurnal Four-striped grass mouse (Rhabdomys dilectus). ZOOLOGY 2020; 141:125804. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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12
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Oosthuizen MK. Temporal flexibility in activity rhythms of a diurnal rodent, the ice rat ( Otomys sloggetti). Chronobiol Int 2020; 37:824-835. [PMID: 32633135 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1782931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Diurnality in rodents is relatively rare and occurs primarily in areas with low nighttime temperatures such as at high altitudes and desert areas. However, many factors can influence temporal activity rhythms of animals, both in the field and the laboratory. The temporal activity patterns of the diurnal ice rat were investigated in the laboratory with, and without, access to running wheels, and in constant conditions with running wheels. Ice rats appeared to be fundamentally diurnal but used their running wheels during the night. In constant conditions, general activity remained predominantly diurnal while wheel running was either nocturnal or diurnal. In some animals, entrainment of the wheel running rhythm was evident, as demonstrated by free-running periods that were different from 24 h. In other animals, the wheel running activity abruptly switched from nocturnal to subjective day as soon as the animals entered DD, and reverted back to nocturnal once returned to LD, suggesting the rhythms were masked by light. Wheel running rhythms appears to be less robust and more affected by light compared to general activity rhythms. In view of present and future environmental changes, the existence of more unstable activity rhythms that can readily switch between temporal niches might be crucial for the survival of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Oosthuizen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria , Pretoria, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria , Pretoria, South Africa
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13
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Refinetti R. Circadian rhythmicity of body temperature and metabolism. Temperature (Austin) 2020; 7:321-362. [PMID: 33251281 PMCID: PMC7678948 DOI: 10.1080/23328940.2020.1743605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the literature on the circadian rhythms of body temperature and whole-organism metabolism. The two rhythms are first described separately, each description preceded by a review of research methods. Both rhythms are generated endogenously but can be affected by exogenous factors. The relationship between the two rhythms is discussed next. In endothermic animals, modulation of metabolic activity can affect body temperature, but the rhythm of body temperature is not a mere side effect of the rhythm of metabolic thermogenesis associated with general activity. The circadian system modulates metabolic heat production to generate the body temperature rhythm, which challenges homeothermy but does not abolish it. Individual cells do not regulate their own temperature, but the relationship between circadian rhythms and metabolism at the cellular level is also discussed. Metabolism is both an output of and an input to the circadian clock, meaning that circadian rhythmicity and metabolism are intertwined in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Refinetti
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA
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14
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Yassumoto TI, Tachinardi P, Oda GA, Valentinuzzi VS. Acute effects of light and darkness on the activity and temperature rhythms of a subterranean rodent, the Anillaco tuco-tuco. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112645. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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15
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Verra DM, Sajdak BS, Merriman DK, Hicks D. Diurnal rodents as pertinent animal models of human retinal physiology and pathology. Prog Retin Eye Res 2019; 74:100776. [PMID: 31499165 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.100776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This presentation will survey the retinal architecture, advantages, and limitations of several lesser-known rodent species that provide a useful diurnal complement to rats and mice. These diurnal rodents also possess unusually cone-rich photoreceptor mosaics that facilitate the study of cone cells and pathways. Species to be presented include principally the Sudanian Unstriped Grass Rat and Nile Rat (Arvicanthis spp.), the Fat Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus), the degu (Octodon degus) and the 13-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). The retina and optic nerve in several of these species demonstrate unusual resilience in the face of neuronal injury, itself an interesting phenomenon with potential translational value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Verra
- Department of Neurobiology of Rhythms, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (INCI), CNRS UPR 3212, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Dana K Merriman
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA
| | - David Hicks
- Department of Neurobiology of Rhythms, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives (INCI), CNRS UPR 3212, Strasbourg, France.
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16
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Bilu C, Einat H, Barak O, Zimmet P, Vishnevskia-Dai V, Govrin A, Agam G, Kronfeld-Schor N. Linking type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiac hypertrophy and depression in a diurnal animal model. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11865. [PMID: 31413352 PMCID: PMC6694156 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48326-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
It was recently suggested that the Metabolic Syndrome should be renamed to "Circadian Syndrome". In this context, we explored the effects of living under standard laboratory conditions, where light is the only cycling variable (relevant to human modern life), in a diurnal mammal, on the relationships between affective-like pathology, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiac hypertrophy. After 20 weeks, some of the animals spontaneously developed T2DM, depressive and anxiety-like behavior and cardiac hypertrophy. There were significant correlations between levels of anxiety-like behavior and glucose tolerance, and between heart/total body weight ratio and glucose tolerance. Our data suggest a relationship between the development of T2DM, emotional and cardiac pathology as seen in diurnal humans. Furthermore, our data show a possible relationship between reduced daily cycling cues in the laboratory and what has been regularly termed "Metabolic Syndrome" and recently proposed by us to be renamed to "Circadian Syndrome".
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Ramat Aviv, Israel
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Haim Einat
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Orly Barak
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Paul Zimmet
- Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Vicktoria Vishnevskia-Dai
- Ocular Oncology and Autoimmune service, The Goldschleger Eye Institute, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Amanda Govrin
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Galila Agam
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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17
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Bilu C, Einat H, Tal-Krivisky K, Mizrahi J, Vishnevskia-Dai V, Agam G, Kronfeld-Schor N. Red white and blue - bright light effects in a diurnal rodent model for seasonal affective disorder. Chronobiol Int 2019; 36:919-926. [PMID: 30983429 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2019.1595638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Despite the common use of bright light exposure for treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the underlying biology of the therapeutic effect is not clear. Moreover, there is a debate regarding the most efficacious wavelength of light for treatment. Whereas according to the traditional approach full-spectrum light is used, recent studies suggest that the critical wavelengths are within the range of blue light (460 and 484 nm). Our previous work shows that when diurnal rodents are maintained under short photoperiod they develop depression- and anxiety-like behavioral phenotype that is ameliorated by treatment with wide-spectrum bright light exposure (2500 lux at the cage, 5000 K). Our current study compares the effect of bright wide-spectrum (3,000 lux, wavelength 420- 780 nm, 5487 K), blue (1,300 lux, wavelength 420-530 nm) and red light (1,300 lux, wavelength range 600-780 nm) exposure in the fat sand rat (Psammomys Obesus) model of SAD. We report results of experiments with six groups of sand rats that were kept under various photoperiods and light treatments, and subjected to behavioral tests related to emotions: forced swim test, elevated plus maze and social interactions. Exposure to either intense wide-spectrum white light or to blue light equally ameliorated depression-like behavior whereas red light had no effect. Bright wide-spectrum white light treatment had no effect on animals maintained under neutral photoperiod, meaning that light exposure was only effective in the pathological-like state. The resemblance between the effects of bright white light and blue light suggests that intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are involved in the underlying biology of SAD and light therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- a School of Zoology , Tel-Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel.,b Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer Sheva , Israel
| | - Haim Einat
- c School of Behavioral Sciences , Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College , Tel-Aviv , Israel
| | | | - Joseph Mizrahi
- d Department of Medicine , Stony Brook University Hospital , Stony Brook , NY , USA
| | - Vicktoria Vishnevskia-Dai
- e Ocular Oncology and Autoimmune service, The Goldschleger Eye Institute, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine , Tel-Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Galila Agam
- b Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Beer Sheva , Israel
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18
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Bilu C, Zimmet P, Vishnevskia-Dai V, Einat H, Agam G, Grossman E, Kronfeld-Schor N. Diurnality, Type 2 Diabetes, and Depressive-Like Behavior. J Biol Rhythms 2018; 34:69-83. [PMID: 30585103 DOI: 10.1177/0748730418819373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Although type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and depression are associated with disturbances in circadian rhythms, most studies of these diseases use nocturnal mice and rats while modeling diurnal humans. We suggest that the development of T2DM and depression are related to changes that accompany the switch from the mammalian ancestral nocturnal activity to the current diurnal one. We show that diurnal sand rats ( Psammomys obesus) held outdoors in laboratory cages (where they are exposed to natural environmental conditions) and fed a standard rodent diet do not develop T2DM in contrast to animals held indoors (where the only cycling environmental condition is light) fed the same diet. Moreover, keeping sand rats under a short photoperiod dampened behavioral and molecular daily rhythms, resulted in anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, and accelerated the development of T2DM. We suggest that the disturbed rhythms disrupt the internal temporal order and metabolic pathways controlled by feeding and the circadian system, resulting in the development of T2DM and depressive-like behavior. We further suggest that using nocturnal mice and rats as sole model animals may limit research, especially when studying circadian rhythm-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Ramat Aviv, Israel.,Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Paul Zimmet
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Vicktoria Vishnevskia-Dai
- Ocular Oncology and Autoimmune service, The Goldschleger Eye Institute, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Haim Einat
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Galila Agam
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ehud Grossman
- Internal Medicine Department and Hypertension Unit, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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19
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Levy O, Dayan T, Porter WP, Kronfeld-Schor N. Time and ecological resilience: can diurnal animals compensate for climate change by shifting to nocturnal activity? ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Levy
- School of Zoology; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
| | - Tamar Dayan
- School of Zoology; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv 69978 Israel
| | - Warren P. Porter
- Department of Integrative Biology; University of Wisconsin; Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
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Abstract
Although inbred domesticated strains of rats and mice serve as traditional mammalian animal models in biomedical research, the nocturnal habits of these rodents make them inappropriate for research that requires a model with human-like diurnal activity rhythms. We conducted a literature review and recorded locomotor activity data from four rodent species that are generally considered to be diurnally active, the Mongolian gerbil ( Meriones unguiculatus), the degu ( Octodon degus), the African (Nile) grass rat ( Arvicanthis niloticus), and the antelope ground squirrel ( Ammospermophilus leucurus). Our data collected under 12-hour light/dark cycles confirmed and expanded the existing literature in showing that the activity rhythms of antelope ground squirrels and African grass rats are stronger and more concentrated in the light phase of the light/dark cycle than the activity rhythms of Mongolian gerbils and degus, making the former two species preferable and more reliable as models of consistent diurnal activity in the laboratory. Among the two more strongly diurnal species, antelope ground squirrels are more exclusively diurnal and have more robust activity rhythms than African grass rats. Although animals of these two species are not currently available from commercial suppliers, African grass rats are indigenous to a wide area across the north of Africa and thus available to researchers in the eastern hemisphere, whereas antelope ground squirrels can be found throughout much of western North America's desert country and, therefore, are more easily accessible to North American researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Refinetti
- 1 Circadian Rhythm Laboratory, Department of Psychological Science, Boise State University, USA
| | - G J Kenagy
- 2 Department of Biology and Burke Museum, University of Washington, USA
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21
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Fritzsche P, Chunkov MM, Ushakova MV, Omarov KZ, Weinert D, Surov AV. Diurnal surface activity of the Ciscaucasian hamster (Mesocricetus raddei) in the field. Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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22
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Riede SJ, van der Vinne V, Hut RA. The flexible clock: predictive and reactive homeostasis, energy balance and the circadian regulation of sleep–wake timing. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:738-749. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.130757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The Darwinian fitness of mammals living in a rhythmic environment depends on endogenous daily (circadian) rhythms in behavior and physiology. Here, we discuss the mechanisms underlying the circadian regulation of physiology and behavior in mammals. We also review recent efforts to understand circadian flexibility, such as how the phase of activity and rest is altered depending on the encountered environment. We explain why shifting activity to the day is an adaptive strategy to cope with energetic challenges and show how this can reduce thermoregulatory costs. A framework is provided to make predictions about the optimal timing of activity and rest of non-model species for a wide range of habitats. This Review illustrates how the timing of daily rhythms is reciprocally linked to energy homeostasis, and it highlights the importance of this link in understanding daily rhythms in physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjaak J. Riede
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Chronobiology Unit, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent van der Vinne
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Chronobiology Unit, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Roelof A. Hut
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Chronobiology Unit, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
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23
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Eynan M, Biram A, Mullokandov M, Kronfeld-Schor N, Paz-Cohen R, Menajem D, Arieli Y. The transition from day-to-night activity is a risk factor for the development of CNS oxygen toxicity in the diurnal fat sand rat (Psammomys obesus). Chronobiol Int 2017; 34:578-586. [PMID: 28156158 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2017.1281822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Performance and safety are impaired in employees engaged in shift work. Combat divers who use closed-circuit oxygen diving apparatus undergo part of their training during the night hours. The greatest risk involved in diving with such apparatus is the development of central nervous system oxygen toxicity (CNS-OT). We investigated whether the switch from day-to-night activity may be a risk factor for the development of CNS-OT using a diurnal animal model, the fat sand rat (Psammomys obesus). Animals were kept on a 12:12 light-dark schedule (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 500 lx). The study included two groups: (1) Control group: animals were kept awake and active during the day, between 09:00 and 15:00. (2) Experimental group: animals were kept awake and active during the night, between 21:00 and 03:00, when they were exposed to dim light in order to simulate the conditions prevalent during combat diver training. This continued for a period of 3 weeks, 5 days a week. On completion of this phase, 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (6-SMT) levels in urine were determined over a period of 24 h. Animals were then exposed to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). To investigate the effect of acute melatonin administration, melatonin (50 mg/kg) or its vehicle was administered to the animals in both groups 20 min prior to HBO exposure. After the exposure, the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase was measured, as were the levels of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and overall nitrotyrosylation in the cortex and hippocampus. Latency to CNS-OT was significantly reduced after the transition from day-to-night activity. This was associated with alterations in the level of melatonin metabolites secreted in the urine. Acute melatonin administration had no effect on latency to CNS-OT in either of the groups. Nevertheless, the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as nitrotyrosine and nNOS levels, were altered in the hippocampus following melatonin administration. On the basis of these results, we suggest that a switch from diurnal to nocturnal activity may represent an additional risk factor for the development of CNS-OT. Utilizing a diurnal animal model may contribute to our understanding of the heightened risk of developing CNS-OT when diving with closed-circuit oxygen apparatus at night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirit Eynan
- a Israel Naval Medical Institute , IDF Medical Corps , Haifa , Israel
| | - Adi Biram
- a Israel Naval Medical Institute , IDF Medical Corps , Haifa , Israel
| | | | | | - Rotem Paz-Cohen
- b Department of Zoology , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Dvir Menajem
- a Israel Naval Medical Institute , IDF Medical Corps , Haifa , Israel
| | - Yehuda Arieli
- a Israel Naval Medical Institute , IDF Medical Corps , Haifa , Israel
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LaZerte S, Kramer D. Activity of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) during the summer and fall. CAN J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Measuring activity of small mammals in the field is challenging because they are often out of view. We used a novel method, based on temperatures of collar radio transmitters, to quantify the proportion of time eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus (L., 1758)) spent active, curled up resting, and torpid during the summer and fall of 2 years in southern Quebec. Time active over the 24 h day was lower in a nonmast (8%) than a mast (26%) year. In the mast year, activity varied strongly from a low of 7% during the summer lull to a high of 35% in the fall. Chipmunks that exploited a feeder had higher activity (33%) than chipmunks that did not (19%). Activity was higher during the day, but some activity occurred at night. Daily activity patterns varied strongly among seasonal periods. There was no evidence of torpor during the summer lull. Torpor started much earlier in the nonmast than in the mast year and occurred more at night than during the day. Overall, our study suggests that activity in this food-storing hibernator is positively influenced by food availability and indicates that thermosensitive radiotelemetry is a promising method for recording continuous activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.E. LaZerte
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - D.L. Kramer
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
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25
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Bilu C, Einat H, Kronfeld-Schor N. Utilization of Diurnal Rodents in the Research of Depression. Drug Dev Res 2016; 77:336-345. [PMID: 27654112 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical Research Most neuropsychiatric research, including that related to the circadian system, is performed using nocturnal animals, mainly laboratory mice and rats. Mood disorders are known to be associated with circadian rhythm abnormalities, but the mechanisms by which circadian rhythm disruptions interact with depression remain unclear. As the circadian system of diurnal and nocturnal mammals differs, we previously suggested that the utilization of diurnal animal models may be advantageous for understanding these relations. During the last 10 years, we and others established the validity of several diurnal rodent species as a model for the interactions between circadian rhythms and depression. Diurnal rodents respond to photoperiod manipulation in a similar way to humans, the behavioral outcome is directly related to the circadian system, and treatment that is effective in patients is also effective in the model. Moreover, less effective treatments in patients are also less effective in the model. We, therefore, suggest that using diurnal animal models to study circadian rhythms-related affective disorders, such as depression, will provide new insights that will hopefully lead to the development of more effective treatments. Drug Dev Res 77 : 347-356, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer, Sheva, Israel
| | - Haim Einat
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo College, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Noga Kronfeld-Schor
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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26
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Voluntary exercise enhances activity rhythms and ameliorates anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in the sand rat model of circadian rhythm-related mood changes. Physiol Behav 2015; 151:441-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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27
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Tachinardi P, Tøien Ø, Valentinuzzi VS, Buck CL, Oda GA. Nocturnal to Diurnal Switches with Spontaneous Suppression of Wheel-Running Behavior in a Subterranean Rodent. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140500. [PMID: 26460828 PMCID: PMC4603895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Several rodent species that are diurnal in the field become nocturnal in the lab. It has been suggested that the use of running-wheels in the lab might contribute to this timing switch. This proposition is based on studies that indicate feed-back of vigorous wheel-running on the period and phase of circadian clocks that time daily activity rhythms. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys aff. knighti) are subterranean rodents that are diurnal in the field but are robustly nocturnal in laboratory, with or without access to running wheels. We assessed their energy metabolism by continuously and simultaneously monitoring rates of oxygen consumption, body temperature, general motor and wheel running activity for several days in the presence and absence of wheels. Surprisingly, some individuals spontaneously suppressed running-wheel activity and switched to diurnality in the respirometry chamber, whereas the remaining animals continued to be nocturnal even after wheel removal. This is the first report of timing switches that occur with spontaneous wheel-running suppression and which are not replicated by removal of the wheel.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Øivind Tøien
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, United States of America
| | - Veronica S. Valentinuzzi
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica (CRILAR), La Rioja, Argentina
| | - C. Loren Buck
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, United States of America
| | - Gisele A. Oda
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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28
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Qin D, Chu X, Feng X, Li Z, Yang S, Lü L, Yang Q, Pan L, Yin Y, Li J, Xu L, Chen L, Hu X. The first observation of seasonal affective disorder symptoms in Rhesus macaque. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:463-9. [PMID: 26164484 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Diurnal animals are a better model for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) than nocturnal ones. Previous work with diurnal rodents demonstrated that short photoperiod conditions brought about depression-like behavior. However, rodents are at a large phylogenetic distance from humans. In contrast, nonhuman primates are closely similar to humans, making them an excellent candidate for SAD model. This study made the first attempt to develop SAD in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) and it was found that short photoperiod conditions could lead monkeys to display depressive-like huddling behavior, less spontaneous locomotion, as well as less reactive locomotion. In addition to these depression-related behavioral changes, the physiological abnormalities that occur in patients with SAD, such as weight loss, anhedonia and hypercortisolism, were also observed in those SAD monkeys. Moreover, antidepressant treatment could reverse all of the depression-related symptoms, including depressive-like huddling behavior, less spontaneous locomotion, less reactive locomotion, weight loss, anhedonia and hypercortisolism. For the first time, this study observed the SAD symptoms in rhesus macaque, which would provide an important platform for the understanding of the etiology of SAD as well as developing novel therapeutic interventions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongdong Qin
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Xunxun Chu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Xiaoli Feng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Zhifei Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Shangchuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Longbao Lü
- Kunming Primate Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650101, China
| | - Lei Pan
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650021, China
| | - Yong Yin
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650021, China
| | - Jiali Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Lin Xu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Lin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xintian Hu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
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29
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Langel J, Yan L, Nunez AA, Smale L. Behavioral Masking and cFos Responses to Light in Day- and Night-Active Grass Rats. J Biol Rhythms 2014; 29:192-202. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730414533289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Light not only entrains the circadian system but also has acute effects on physiology and behavior, a phenomenon known as masking. Behavioral masking responses to bright light differ in diurnal and nocturnal species, such that light increases arousal in the former and decreases it in the latter. Comparisons made within a species that displays both diurnal and nocturnal patterns of behavior may provide insight into how masking differs between chronotypes and the association between mechanisms controlling masking and the circadian drive for activity. Nile grass rats ( Arvicanthis niloticus) provide a useful model for studying such issues because when these animals are housed with running wheels, some run primarily during day, while others run at night. Here we compared behavioral masking responses to 2-h pulses of light and darkness given across a 12:12 light/dark cycle in day-active (DA) and night-active (NA) grass rats. Both wheel-running activity (WRA) and general activity (GA) were monitored. Light pulses at night tended to increase both WRA and GA overall in the DA grass rats, while in NA grass rats, light pulses significantly reduced WRA but had no effect on GA. Dark pulses during the day tended to decrease both WRA and GA in the DA grass rats, while in the NA grass rats, they tended to increase WRA in the early day but had no effect on GA overall. Next, we measured cFos expression within 2 brain areas potentially involved in masking, the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) and the olivary pretectal area (OPT), of DA and NA grass rats either sacrificed on a control night or after a 1-h light pulse at ZT14. In DA grass rats, light at ZT14 induced cFos in the IGL and OPT, whereas in NA grass rats, cFos levels in both structures were high at ZT14 and were not altered by a 1-h light pulse. Overall, these results suggest that masking responses to light and darkness are dependent on the chronotype of the individual and that the responsiveness of the IGL and OPT to light may depend on or contribute to the behavioral response of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Langel
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Lily Yan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Antonio A. Nunez
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Laura Smale
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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30
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Ashkenazy-Frolinger T, Einat H, Kronfeld-Schor N. Diurnal rodents as an advantageous model for affective disorders: novel data from diurnal degu (Octodon degus). J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2013; 122 Suppl 1:S35-45. [PMID: 24352409 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-013-1137-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are strongly associated with affective disorders and recent studies have suggested utilization of diurnal rodents as model animal for circadian rhythms-related domains of these disorders. Previous work with the diurnal fat sand rat and Nile grass rat demonstrated that short photoperiod conditions result in behavioral changes including anxiety- and depression-like behavior. The present study examined the effect of manipulating day length on activity rhythms and behavior of the diurnal degu. Animals were housed for 3 weeks under either a short photoperiod (5-h:19-h LD) or a neutral photoperiod (12-h:12-h LD) and then evaluated by sweet solution test and the forced swim test for depression-like behavior, and in the light/dark box and open field for anxiety-like behavior. Results indicate that short photoperiod induced depression-like behavior in the forced swim test and the sweet solution preference test and anxiety-like behavior in the open field compared with animals maintained in a neutral photoperiod. No effects were shown in the light/dark box. Short photoperiod-acclimated degu showed reduced total activity duration and activity was not restricted to the light phase. The present study further supports the utilization of diurnal rodents to model circadian rhythms-related affective change. Beyond the possible diversity in the mechanisms underlying diurnality in different animals, there are now evidences that in three different diurnal species, the fat sand rat, the grass Nile rat and the degu, shortening of photoperiod results in the appearance of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors.
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