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The role of the pineal organ and the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the control of circadian locomotor rhythms in the Java sparrow,Padda oryzivora

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Summary

The roles of the pineal organ and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the control of circadian rhythms of locomotor activity were examined in male Java sparrows (Padda oryzivora).

  1. 1.

    Removal of the pineal organ resulted in (i) no interference with entrainment to a light-dark (LD) cycle with anticipatory activity, (ii) appearance of residual circadian rhythmicity for a while after transfer from an LD cycle to a continuous dim light condition (LL), and (iii) subsequent loss of the circadian locomotor rhythms in prolonged LL (Fig. 1).

  2. 2.

    Birds with bilateral SCN lesions showed diurnal rhythms with anticipatory activity in LD cycles, but did not show any circadian rhythms in LL (Fig. 2). Unilateral lesions of the SCN did not lead to loss of circadian rhythms in LL. The length of the circadian period (τ), however, changed for about a month.

  3. 3.

    Continuous administration of melatonin induced suppression of the circadian activity rhythms and reduced total amount of locomotor activity in LL (Fig. 3).

These results suggest that in the Java sparrow the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity are regulated by a pineal-suprachiasmatic complex.

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Abbreviations

LL :

constant light

LD :

light-dark

DD :

constant darkness

NAT :

serotonin N-acetyltransferase

SCN :

suprachiasmatic nucleus

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Author notes

  1. Shizufumi Ebihara

    Present address: Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Physiological Psychology and Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Mitsubishi-Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, 11 Minamiooya, Machida-shi, 194, Tokyo, Japan

    Shizufumi Ebihara & Hiroshi Kawamura

Authors
  1. Shizufumi Ebihara
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  2. Hiroshi Kawamura
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Additional information

We are grateful to Dr. M. Yasuda (Honorary Professor, Nagoya University) for his kind help in evaluating the histological slides, Mrs. I. Nihonmatsu for autoradiographic and histological work and Miss S. Hara for technical and histological assistance.

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Ebihara, S., Kawamura, H. The role of the pineal organ and the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the control of circadian locomotor rhythms in the Java sparrow,Padda oryzivora . J. Comp. Physiol. 141, 207–214 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01342667

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