Abstract
MANY vital processes have marked diurnal rhythms in natural circumstances; and in the laboratory, even under the most constant conditions possible, they still show cycles with a period approximating 24 h (‘circadian rhythms’1). From his observations on rats, however, Siegel2 concludes that the diurnal rhythm in the feeding behaviour of this species disappears in 6–10 days in animals kept under continuous light. (The same conclusion was previously reached by Baker3, but in our opinion on the basis of an inadequate analysis of the feeding behaviour of his animals.) This conclusion was justly criticized by Aschoff4; Siegel's pooling of data for a group of subjects may have obscured the existence of non-synchronous cycles in the different individuals. Therefore, as a preliminary to other investigations on the physiological mechanisms of feeding behaviour in mammals, we have re-investigated this point.
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References
Halberg, F., et al., in Photoperiodism and Related Phenomena in Plants and Animals, 803 (Washington, 1959).
Siegel, P. S., J. Comp. Psych. Physiol., 54, 294 (1961).
Baker, R. A., J. Comp. Psych. Physiol., 46, 422 (1953).
Aschoff, J., in Die Umwelt der Versuchstiere, 43 (1964).
Wiepkema, P. R., Arch. Néerl. Zool., 15, 166 (1964).
Kendall, M. G., and Stuart, A., in The Advanced Theory of Statistics, 2 (1961).
Alingh, Prins A. J., (personal communication).
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WIEPKEMA, P., DE RUITER, L. & REDDINGIUS, J. Circadian Rhythms in the Feeding Behaviour of CBA Mice. Nature 209, 935–936 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209935a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/209935a0
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