Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Darkness on Circadian Photic Responsiveness in the Mouse

Circadian rhythms in mammals are generated by an endogenous pacemaker but are modulated by environmental cycles, principally the alternation of light and darkness. Although much is known about nonparametric effects of light on the circadian system, little is known about other effects of photic stimulation. In the present study, which consists of a series of five experiments in mice, various manipulations of photic stimulation were used to dissect the mechanisms responsible for a variation in the magnitude of light-induced phase-shifts that results from prolonged exposure to darkness. The results confirmed previous observations that prolonged exposure to darkness causes an increase in the magnitude of phase shifts (both phase advances and phase delays) evoked by discrete light pulses. The results also indicated that the increase in responsiveness results from the lack of exposure to light per se and not from collateral effects of exposure to constant darkness such as the lack of previous entrainment. The lack of exposure to light causes the circadian system to undergo a process of dark adaptation similar to dark adaptation in the visual system but with a much slower temporal course. The results suggest that circadian dark adaptation may take place at the retinal level, but it is not clear whether it involves a change in the sensitivity or maximal responsiveness of the system.