Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
1997-12-23
pubmed:abstractText
Annual variations in day length are responsible for seasonal changes in reproductive activity in sheep. However, in constant photoperiodic conditions, ewes express an endogenous rhythm characterized by alternations of reproductive activity and quiescence that are not synchronized among animals. Thus, the main role of photoperiod in the natural environment appears to be the synchronization of this endogenous rhythm. Photoperiodic information is processed through a complex nervous and endocrine pathway to modulate reproductive activity. Light information perceived at the level of the retina is transformed through neural processing into an endocrine signal by the pineal gland: the nocturnal increase in melatonin release. Recent studies strongly suggest that melatonin has a hypothalamic target to modulate the reproductive neuroendocrine axis. Most LHRH perikarya are located in the preoptic area, but this region is devoid of melatonin receptors, and microimplants of melatonin placed in the preoptic area do not effect LHRH release. Thus, melatonin influences LHRH neurones indirectly and must involve interneurons. Good evidence now exists to demonstrate that a population of dopaminergic neurons with axons projecting to the median eminence is one of these interneurons.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0361-9230
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
44
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
431-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1997
pubmed:articleTitle
Control of the circannual rhythm of reproduction by melatonin in the ewe.
pubmed:affiliation
INRA, Neuroendocrinologie Sexuelle, Station de Physiologie de la Reproduction des Mammifères Domestiques, Nouzilly, France.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't