Melatonin-independent Photoperiodic Entrainment of the Circannual TSH Rhythm in the Pars Tuberalis of the European Hamster.

Adaptation of biological rhythms to a seasonal environment in circannual mammals is achieved via the synchronization of intrinsic circannual rhythms to the external year by photoperiod. In mammals, the photoperiodic information is integrated to seasonal physiology via the pineal hormone melatonin regulation of pars tuberalis (PT) TSHβ expression and its downstream control of hypothalamic dio2 gene expression. In the circannual European hamster, however, photoperiodic entrainment of the circannual clock is possible in pinealectomized animals.

The lateral habenula interacts with the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis response upon stressful cognitive demand in rats.

The lateral habenula (LHb) is involved in emotional and cognitive behaviors. Recently, we have shown in rats that blockade of excitatory inputs to the LHb not only induced deficits of memory retrieval in the water maze, but also altered swim strategies (i.e.

Arvicanthis ansorgei, a Novel Model for the Study of Sleep and Waking in Diurnal Rodents.

Study Objectives: Sleep neurobiology studies use nocturnal species, mainly rats and mice. However, because their daily sleep/wake organization is inverted as compared to humans, a diurnal model for sleep studies is needed. To fill this gap, we phenotyped sleep and waking in Arvicanthis ansorgei, a diurnal rodent widely used for the study of circadian rhythms.

Defective response inhibition and collicular noradrenaline enrichment in mice with duplicated retinotopic map in the superior colliculus.

The superior colliculus is a hub for multisensory integration necessary for visuo-spatial orientation, control of gaze movements and attention. The multiple functions of the superior colliculus have prompted hypotheses about its involvement in neuropsychiatric conditions, but to date, this topic has not been addressed experimentally. We describe experiments on genetically modified mice, the Isl2-EphA3 knock-in line, that show a well-characterized duplication of the retino-collicular and cortico-collicular axonal projections leading to hyperstimulation of the superior colliculus.

Oxygen-induced retinopathy induces short-term glial stress and long-term impairment of photoentrainment in mice.

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity is a serious potentially blinding disease of pre-term infants. There is extensive vascular remodeling and tissue stress, but data concerning alterations in retinal neurons and glia, and long-term functional sequelae are still incomplete.

Methods: ROP was induced using the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model.

Photoperiod can entrain circannual rhythms in pinealectomized European hamsters.

In mammals, the pineal hormone melatonin is thought to be essential to process environmental photoperiodic information. In this study, we demonstrate in a circannual species, the European hamster Cricetus cricetus, the existence of a melatonin-independent second pathway. In 4 physiological parameters (reproduction, body weight, activity pattern, body temperature), a large majority of pinealectomized European hamsters were entrained to an accelerated photoperiodic regime.

Aging-like circadian disturbances in folate-deficient mice.

The elderly population shows various circadian disturbances, including dampened amplitude of rhythmicity and decreased responsiveness to light. The common poor folate status in the elderly might account for these aging-related circadian disturbances. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether folate deficiency in mice affects circadian oscillations of the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, and the shifting responses to light.

Relevance of exocytotic glutamate release from retinal glia.

Glial cells release molecules that influence brain development, function, and disease. Calcium-dependent exocytosis has been proposed as potential release mechanism in astroglia, but the physiological relevance of "gliotransmission" in vivo remains controversial. We focused on the impact of glial exocytosis on sensory transduction in the retina.

Setting the main circadian clock of a diurnal mammal by hypocaloric feeding.

Caloric restriction attenuates the onset of a number of pathologies related to ageing. In mammals, circadian rhythms, controlled by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic (SCN) clock, are altered with ageing. Although light is the main synchronizer for the clock, a daily hypocaloric feeding (HF) may also modulate the SCN activity in nocturnal rodents.

A time-dependent history of mood disorders in a murine model of neuropathic pain.

Background: Chronic pain is clinically associated with the development of affective disorders. However, studies in animal models of neuropathic pain are contradictory and the relationship with mood disorders remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize the affective consequences of neuropathic pain over time and to study potential underlying mechanisms.