Search results for "Suprachiasmatic Nucleus"
showing 10 items of 24 documents
Phosphodiesterase 10A in the Rat Pineal Gland: Localization, Daily and Seasonal Regulation of Expression and Influence on Signal Transduction
2010
The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is highly expressed in striatal spiny projection neurons and represents a therapeutic target for the treatment of psychotic symptoms. As reported previously [J Biol Chem 2009; 284:7606–7622], in this study PDE10A was seen to be additionally expressed in the pineal gland where the levels of PDE10A transcript display daily changes. As with the transcript, the amount of PDE10A protein was found to be under daily and seasonal regulation. The observed cyclicity in the amount of PDE10A mRNA persists under constant darkness, is blocked by constant light and is modulated by the lighting regime. It therefore appears to be driven by the master cloc…
Effects of melatonin on spontaneous electrical activity of neurons in rat suprachiasmatic nuclei: an in vitro iontophoretic study.
1989
Circadian rhythms, endogenously generated in suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), seem to be under the direct influence of melatonin. Therefore, the effect of iontophoretically applied melatonin on electrical activity of SCN neurons was investigated in vitro. Usually, melatonin had an inhibitory effect. In the 3-h periods before (2.00-5.00 p.m.) or after (5.00-8.00 p.m.) the light-dark transition the percentage of SCN neurons sensitive to melatonin was very high (80% and 100%, respectively). However, efficacy of melatonin was low in the periods preceeding (20%) and following (33%) this 6-h time interval.
Effects of histamine on spontaneous electrical activity of neurons in rat suprachiasmatic nucleus
1991
Abstract The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is thought to be a light-entrained pacemaker in mammals, inducing a wide range of endogenous circadian events. In rat brain, histaminergic (HAergic) fibres are particulary rich in the hypothalamus. This prompted an investigation of the influence of bath-applied HAergic compounds on the spontaneous electrical activity of SCN neurons, recorded extracellularly in the hypothalamic slice preparation. Cells activated by bath application of HA ( n = 28) outnumbered those inhibited by HA ( n = 6). 48% of cells tested ( n = 28) were unresponsive to HA application. HA-induced activation of SCN neurons' discharge rate could be suppressed by the H…
Demonstration of retinal afferents in the RCS rat, with reference to the retinohypothalamic projection and suprachiasmatic nucleus.
1995
In the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat, characterized by inherited retinal dystrophy, retinal projections to the brain were studied using anterograde neuronal transport of cholera toxin B subunit upon injection into one eye. The respective immunoreactivity was found predominantly contralateral to the injection site in the lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the optic tract, medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic tract, and bilateral hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei. Although terminal density was somewhat reduced in dystrophic rats, the projection patterns in these animals appeared similar to those seen in their congenic controls and were comparable to …
Effects of excitatory amino acids and neuropeptide Y on the discharge activity of suprachiasmatic neurons in rat brain slices
1997
Effects of L-glutamate, AMPA, NMDA and NPY on the discharge activity of neurons located in the ventral subdivision of the suprachiasmatic nucleus were examined in submerged coronal slices of the rat hypothalamus. All substances were bath applied. Application of L-glutamate (14 neurons examined) induced an excitatory response in 8 suprachiasmatic neurons (+248.9 +/- 122.24%, mean +/- S.E.M.; P0.001). A biphasic response, i.e. an initial transient excitation (+54.3 +/- 8.21%; P0.001) succeeded by an inhibition (-66.2 +/- 9.31%; P0.001), was observed in 6 neurons. Application of AMPA (36 neurons examined) resulted in an excitation of 31 neurons (+209.2 +/- 58.58%; P0.0001). Application of NMDA…
Plasticity of synaptic ribbons of the rat pineal gland in vitro — Minor effects of electrical stimulation
2003
Synaptic ribbons (SRs) of mammalian pinealocytes exhibit day/night changes in number and size, changes that are apparently regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus via postganglionic sympathetic nerve fibres. Since the neural control of SR changes is far from clear and as pinealocytes produce action potentials, we undertook to investigate whether electrical stimulation affects SR changes. Isolated rat pineal glands removed during the daytime were kept in vitro for 0, 30, 60, 90 or 120 min, with or without continuous electrical stimulation (1 mA, 1 Hz), followed by the quantification of SR profiles (SRPs) by transmission electron microscopy. SRs were categorised as to whether they lay less t…
Nitric oxide synthase in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus of rat: evidence from histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and Western blot; and co…
1995
Nitric oxide (NO) is a neuroactive substance of high potency. Physiological results revealed the involvement of NO in circadian regulation of rats. Since neuronal structures containing NO-synthase (NOS) were previously not found in the circadian oscillator, the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), in this species but are present in the hamster, we investigated the distribution of NO-producing structures in the rat SCN by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry of NOS, and by histochemistry (NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity of NOS). Western blot analysis of SCN homogenates from rat (and, for comparison, hamster) showed a NOS-like immunoreactive (-LI) protein band of apparent mo…
Investigations on day-night differences of vesicle densities in synapses of the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus
1990
The present study was conducted to test whether the well-known circadian alterations in physiological and metabolical parameters of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) are accompanied by day-night differences in the number of vesicles in intrinsic synapses of the nucleus. Two groups of 5 adult male rats each were killed at mid-light or mid-dark, respectively, by perfusion with Karnovsky's fluid. The SCN were removed and processed for routine electron microscopy. In medial parts of the nucleus, synapses were characterized as being of Gray type I (asymmetrical), Gray type II (symmetrical) or of intermediate form, and the vesicles per synaptic profile (VPSP) were counted over a defi…
Components and connections of the circadian timing system in mammals
1996
The circadian timing system is a neural network consisting of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus, aided by the retina, other hypothalamic nuclei, autonomic regions of the spinal cord, sympathetic ganglia and the pineal gland. Extensive studies conducted over the last two decades have unravelled the principal items of its functional neuroanatomy. The system is responsible for the generation of the circadian rhythm, its synchronization by environmental factors such as light, and its mediation with respect to morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters of mammals that exhibit distinct alterations throughout the 24-h cycle. This review characterizes the brain sites involved an…
Chronoendokinologia — Quo vadis?
2002
The present review deals with important new chronobiological results especially in the field of chronoendocrinology, shedding new light on the circadian organisation of mammals including man. In vitro studies have shown that the concept of the existence of a single circadian oscillator located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus has to be extended. Circadian oscillators have also been found to exist in the retina, islets of Langerhans, liver, lung, and fibroblasts. Another major result is the detection of a new photopigment, melanopsin, present in a subpopulation of retinal ganglion cells which are lightsensitive and project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, acting as zeitgeber for the photic entr…