Photoperiod alters autonomic regulation of the heart.

ABSTRACT: Outside of the tropics, environmental conditions fluctuate in a generally predictable manner across the year. Many small mammals have evolved mechanisms, such as seasonal breeding and annual adjustments in physiology, morphology, and behavior, that promote winter survival when food is scarce and thermoregulation is challenging. Photoperiod (day length) is a cue used by many seasonal breeders to predict seasonal changes in environmental conditions. One system that is uniquely situated to mediate photoperiod-induced alterations in physiology is the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The 2 branches of the ANS are key regulators of immune responses, thermoregulation, and energy balance, functions that undergo marked shifts in baseline and reactivity following acclimation to short day lengths. Alt

SUBMITTER: Weil ZM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2657460 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature