Melatonin does not prevent social defeat stress-induced phase shifts of peripheral circadian clocks

Klingspohr, Janina (2022) Melatonin does not prevent social defeat stress-induced phase shifts of peripheral circadian clocks. Research Project 1 (minor thesis), Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences.

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Abstract

Abstract Across species on the planet we observe Daily rhythms in behavior and physiology. In addition to the master circadian clock in the SCN, circadian oscillators exist in nearly every cell of the body. Organisms use these internal clocks in order to be well adapted to the predictable daily recurring changes in the environment. But there are also unpredictable uncontrollable events in everyday life eliciting a stress response. Especially chronic stress has been shown to affect, not the SCN, but peripheral oscillators in other tissues, desynchronising their rhythms. This internal desynchronisation may be one of the mechanisms underlying stress-related diseases which are often associated with changes in circadian rhythms. Melatonin may be a signal by the SCN used to synchronise peripheral clocks, as the SCN is not affected by stress and Melatonin signals throughout the body. But most laboratory mouse strains used in previous studies are melatonin deficient. In this experiment we used C57BL/6J PER2:LUC knock-in mice. Half of the mice received melatonin in their drinking water during a restricted time window to induce a daily melatonin rhythm. Half of the melatonin and the control group were then subjected to five consecutive days of social defeat stress. Bioluminescence rhythms corresponding to per2 expression were recorded in lung, liver, kidney, pituitary, and SCN. We found significant phase shifts in response to stress in lung and pituitary, but no effect of melatonin.

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Project 1 (minor thesis))
Supervisor name:	Meerlo, P. and Kong, X.
Degree programme:	Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences
Thesis type:	Research Project 1 (minor thesis)
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	10 Aug 2022 12:00
Last Modified:	10 Aug 2022 12:00
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/28338

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