Study Objectives: To investigate sleep patterns in the camel by combining behavioral and polysomnography (PSG) methods.
Methods: A noninvasive PSG study was conducted over four nights on four animals. Additionally, video recordings were used to monitor the sleep behaviors associated with different vigilance states.
The dromedary camel () is a large ungulate that copes well with the xeric environment of the desert. Its peculiar adaptation to heat and dehydration is well-known. However, its behavior and general activity is far from being completely understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the dromedary camel, a well-adapted desert mammal, daily ambient temperature (T)-cycles have been shown to synchronize the central circadian clock. Such entrainment has been demonstrated by examining two circadian outputs, body temperature and melatonin rhythms. Locomotor activity (LA), another circadian output not yet investigated in the camel, may provide further information on such specific entrainment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn desert areas, mammals such as camel and goat are exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The ambient temperature (Ta) cycles have been shown to entrain the circadian clock in the camel. In the present work, we assumed that, in the goat living in a desert biotope, Ta cycles would have the same synchronizing effect on the central clock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article presents data on the effect of plasmapheresis on clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters in horses following exercise and after a plasmapheresis session. This blood filtration technique was realised on six jumping horses (plasmapheresis group) that underwent three consecutive days of graded physical exercise. The control group (n = 6) went through the same exercise but was not subjected to the plasmapheresis session.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo evaluate the effect of plasmapheresis on clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters after exercise, a plasmapheresis session was realized on six jumping horses (plasmapheresis group) that underwent three consecutive days of physical graded exercise. The control group (n = 6) went through the same exercise but not subjected to the plasmapheresis session. Seventeen milliliters of plasma/kg of body weight was harvested from each horse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a desert mammal whose cycles in reproductive activity ensure that the offspring's birth and weaning coincide with periods of abundant food resources and favorable climate conditions. In this study, we assessed whether kisspeptin (Kp) and arginine-phenylalanine (RF)-amide related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), two hypothalamic peptides known to regulate the mammalian hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis, may be involved in the seasonal control of camel's reproduction. Using specific antibodies and riboprobes, we found that Kp neurons are present in the preoptic area (POA), suprachiasmatic (SCN), and arcuate (ARC) nuclei, and that RFRP-3 neurons are present in the paraventricular (PVN), dorsomedial (DMH), and ventromedial (VMH) hypothalamic nuclei.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDaily pattern of locomotor activity (LA), one of the most studied rhythms in humans and rodents, has not been widely investigated in large mammals. This is partly due to the high cost and breakability of used automatic devices. Since last decade, smartphones are becoming ubiquitous.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn mammals, biological rhythms are driven by a master circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Recently, we have demonstrated that in the camel, the daily cycle of environmental temperature is able to entrain the master clock. This raises several questions about the structure and function of the SCN in this species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present work, we have studied daily rhythmicity of body temperature (Tb) in Arabian camels challenged with daily heat, combined or not with dehydration. We confirm that Arabian camels use heterothermy to reduce heat gain coupled with evaporative heat loss during the day. Here, we also demonstrate that this mechanism is more complex than previously reported, because it is characterized by a daily alternation (probably of circadian origin) of two periods of poikilothermy and homeothermy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
June 2013
In mammals the light-dark (LD) cycle is known to be the major cue to synchronize the circadian clock. In arid and desert areas, the camel (Camelus dromedarius) is exposed to extreme environmental conditions. Since wide oscillations of ambient temperature (Ta) are a major factor in this environment, we wondered whether cyclic Ta fluctuations might contribute to synchronization of circadian rhythms.
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