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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Electrophysiology of the Guinea-pig Pineal Organ: Sympathetic Influence and Different Reactions to Light and Darkness
Lutz VollrathP Semmsubject
medicine.medical_specialtySensory stimulation therapyPhotic Stimulationmedicine.medical_treatmentBiologyPinealocyteGuinea pigElectrophysiologyEndocrinologySympathectomyInternal medicineDarknessmedicineCircadian rhythmNeurosciencedescription
Publisher Summary Recent electrophysiological studies have shown that the guinea-pig pineal organ comprises two main categories of intrinsic cells, which are (a) pinealocytes which are predominantly influenced by central commissural fibers and (b) pinealocytes which are exclusively influenced by peripheral sympathetic fibers. The first group comprises spontaneously active cells which respond to olfactory, acoustic and short-term optic stimuli respectively. After sympathectomy their spontaneous activity is diminished but not suppressed. The second group comprises spontaneously active cells, which do not respond to short-term sensory stimulation and whose activity depends on the environmental lighting conditions. After sympathectomy, these cells cease firing. This chapter checks if neurophysiological properties of these cells can be related to circadian changes in melatonin synthesis.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-01-01 |