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Front Neurosci 2021 23;15:659974. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is the central circadian clock of mammals. It is responsible for communicating temporal information to peripheral oscillators via humoral and endocrine signaling, ultimately controlling overt rhythms such as sleep-wake cycles, body temperature, and locomotor activity. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of the SCN, its genesis is tightly regulated by countless intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Read More

Chronobiol Int 2021 Apr 8:1-12. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA.

Verapamil is the first-line preventive medication for cluster headache, an excruciating disorder with strong circadian features. Whereas second- and third-line preventives include known circadian modulators, such as melatonin, corticosteroids, and lithium, the circadian effects of verapamil are poorly understood. Here, we characterize the circadian features of verapamil using both in vitro and in vivo models. Read More

Endocrinology 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Centre for Neuroendocrinology & Department of Physiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Coordination of ovulation and behavior is critical to reproductive success in many species. During the female estrous cycle, the preovulatory gonadotropin surge occurs when ovarian follicles reach maturity and, in rodents, begins just before the daily onset of activity, ensuring ovulation coincides with sex behavior. Timing of the surge relies on projections from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the locus of the central circadian clock, to hypothalamic circuits that regulate gonadotropin secretion. Read More

J Pineal Res 2021 Apr 1:e12735. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Centre for Biological Timing, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK.

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells convey intrinsic, melanopsin-based, photoreceptive signals alongside those produced by rods and cones to the suprachaismatic nucleus (SCN) circadian clock. To date, experimental data suggest that melanopsin plays a more significant role in measuring ambient light intensity than cone photoreception. Such studies have overwhelmingly used diffuse light stimuli, whereas light intensity in the world around us varies across space and time. Read More

Mol Neurobiol 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Laboratory of Retinal Neurochemistry and Experimental Ophthalmology, Department of Human Biochemistry, School of Medicine/CEFyBO, University of Buenos Aires/CONICET, Paraguay 2155, 5P, (1121), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Glaucoma is a blindness-causing disease that involves selective damage to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. A subset of RGCs expressing the photopigment melanopsin regulates non-image-forming visual system functions, such as pupillary light reflex and circadian rhythms. We analyzed the effect of melatonin on the non-image-forming visual system alterations induced by experimental glaucoma. Read More