Transient anhedonia phenotype and altered circadian timing of behaviour during night-time dim light exposure in Per3^-/- mice, but not wildtype mice.

ABSTRACT: Industrialisation greatly increased human night-time exposure to artificial light, which in animal models is a known cause of depressive phenotypes. Whilst many of these phenotypes are 'direct' effects of light on affect, an 'indirect' pathway via altered sleep-wake timing has been suggested. We have previously shown that the Period3 gene, which forms part of the biological clock, is associated with altered sleep-wake patterns in response to light. Here, we show that both wild-type and Per3^-/- mice showed elevated levels of circulating corticosterone and increased hippocampal Bdnf expression after 3 weeks of exposure to dim light at night, but only mice deficient for the PERIOD3 protein (Per3^-/-) exhibited a transient anhedonia-like phenotype, observed as reduced sucr

SUBMITTER: Martynhak BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5223197 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature