Reduced glucose availability attenuates circadian responses to light in mice

Etienne Challet*, Susan Losee-Olson, Fred W. Turek

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

To test whether circadian responses to light are modulated by decreased glucose availability, we analyzed photic phase resetting of the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in mice exposed to four metabolic challenges: 1) blockade of glucose utilization induced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), 2) fasting (food was removed for 30 h), 3) insulin administration, and 4) insulin treatment after fasting. In mice housed in constant darkness, light pulses applied during early subjective night induced phase delays of the rhythm of locomotor activity, whereas light pulses applied during late subjective night caused phase advanced. There was an overall reduction of light-induced phase shifts, with a more pronounced effect for delays, in mice pretreated with 500 mg/kg ip 2-DG compared with mice injected with saline. Administration of glucose with 2-DG prevented the reduction of light-induced phase delays. Furthermore, phase delays were reduced in fed mice pretreated with 5 IU/kg sc insulin and in fasted mice injected with saline or insulin compared with control fed mice. These results show that circadian responses to light are reduced when brain glucose availability is decreased, suggesting a metabolic modulation of light-induced phase shifts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)R1063-R1070
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology
Volume276
Issue number4 45-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1999

Keywords

  • 2-deoxy-D-glucose
  • Circadian rhythm
  • Fasting
  • Glucose utilization
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Insulin
  • Suprachiasmatic nucleus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Physiology (medical)

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