Abstract
The pineal hormone melatonin is believed to act directly on the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), which are principal circadian pacemakers in rodents, although direct demonstration of this is lacking. To determine whether the SCN are sensitive to melatonin electrophysiologically, we investigated the effect of melatonin on rat SCN single-unit activity in an in vitro hypothalamic slice preparation. SCN single-unit activity was inhibited by melatonin superfusion during the late subjective day in a dose-dependent manner but not at other times of day, supporting the view that melatonin acts directly on SCN neurons.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 140-144 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Neuroscience Letters |
| Volume | 97 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1989 Feb 13 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Circadian rhythm
- Melatonin
- Single-unit activity
- Suprachiasmatic nucleus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
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Shibata, S., Cassone, V. M., & Moore, R. Y. (1989). Effects of melatonin on neuronal activity in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus in vitro. Neuroscience Letters, 97(1-2), 140-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3940(89)90153-5