Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-5-29
pubmed:abstractText
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) orchestrates synchrony among many peripheral oscillators and is required for circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and many physiological processes. However, the unique effects of methamphetamine (MAP) on circadian behavior suggest the presence of an SCN-independent, methamphetamine-sensitive circadian oscillator (MASCO). Substantial data collected using rat models show that chronic methamphetamine dramatically lengthens circadian period of locomotor activity rhythms and induces rhythms in animals lacking an SCN. However, the anatomical substrate and the molecular components of the MASCO are unknown. The response to MAP is less well studied in mice, a model that would provide the genetic tools to probe the molecular components of this extra-SCN oscillator. The authors tested the effects of chronic MAP on 2 strains of intact and SCN-lesioned mice in constant dark and constant light. Furthermore, they applied various MAP availability schedules to SCN-lesioned mice to confirm the circadian nature of the underlying oscillator. The results indicate that this oscillator has circadian properties. In intact mice, the MASCO interacts with the SCN in a manner that is strain, sex, and dose dependent. In SCN-lesioned mice, it induces robust free-running locomotor rhythmicity, which persists for up to 14 cycles after methamphetamine is withdrawn. In the future, localization of the MASCO and characterization of its underlying molecular mechanism, as well as its interactions with other oscillators in the body, will be essential to a complete understanding of the organization of the mammalian circadian system.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0748-7304
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
21
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
185-94
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2006
pubmed:articleTitle
The methamphetamine-sensitive circadian oscillator (MASCO) in mice.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural