Multiple entrained oscillator model of food anticipatory circadian rhythms.

ABSTRACT: For many animal species, knowing when to look for food may be as important as knowing where to look. Rats and other species use a feeding-responsive circadian timing mechanism to anticipate, behaviorally and physiologically, a predictable daily feeding opportunity. How this mechanism for anticipating a daily meal accommodates more than one predictable mealtime is unclear. Rats were trained to press a lever for food, and then limited to one or more daily meals at fixed or systematically varying times of day. The rats were able to anticipate up to 4 of 4 daily meals at fixed times of day and two 'daily' meals recurring at 24 h and 26 h intervals. When deprived of food, in constant dark, lever pressing recurred for multiple cycles at expected mealtimes, consistent with the periodicity of the

SUBMITTER: Petersen CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9166752 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature