Somatostatin regulates central clock function and circadian responses to light.

Daily and annual changes in light are processed by central clock circuits that control the timing of behavior and physiology. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the anterior hypothalamus processes daily photic inputs and encodes changes in day length (i.e.

Vasopressin Resets the Central Circadian Clock in a Manner Influenced by Sex and Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide Signaling.

Background/aims: Circadian rhythms in behavior and physiology are programmed by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. A subset of SCN neurons produce the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP), but it remains unclear whether AVP signaling influences the SCN clock directly.

Methods: Here, we test that AVP signaling acting through V1A and V1B receptors influences molecular rhythms in SCN neurons.

Reduced VIP Expression Affects Circadian Clock Function in VIP-IRES-CRE Mice (JAX 010908).

Circadian rhythms are programmed by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which relies on neuropeptide signaling to maintain daily timekeeping. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is critical for SCN function, but the precise role of VIP neurons in SCN circuits is not fully established. To interrogate their contribution to SCN circuits, VIP neurons can be manipulated specifically using the DNA-editing enzyme Cre recombinase.