Biomaterial Database

Characteristics of circadian rhythm of wheel-running activity and drinking behavior in Mongolian gerbils. 1989

T Umezu, and H Kuribara, and S Tadokoro

Division for Behavior Analysis, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan.

Circadian patterns of wheel-running activity and drinking behavior of Mongolian gerbils were investigated under a 24-h light-dark cycle (LD, 12: 12). Although the circadian pattern of drinking behavior was less clear than that of the wheel-running activity, the two behaviors tended to alter in parallel with each other in 5 out of 10 gerbils. However, the other 5 gerbils exhibited less synchronization between these circadian patterns. Furthermore, there were marked individual differences in the gerbils' circadian patterns, demonstrating not only nocturnal, boundary (showing a peak around the time-of-day of the changing from light period to dark period), and/or diurnal patterns, but also a free-running pattern during the observation period of 79 days. The present result may be due to behavioral characteristics that indicate the gerbils may still be wild type. It is therefore important to know behavioral characteristics of Mongolian gerbils in preclinical evaluation of psychotropic drugs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007206	Individuality	Those psychological characteristics which differentiate individuals from one another.	Individual Differences,Difference, Individual,Differences, Individual,Individual Difference
D008297	Male		Males
D009043	Motor Activity	Body movements of a human or an animal as a behavioral phenomenon.	Activities, Motor,Activity, Motor,Motor Activities
D002940	Circadian Rhythm	The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli.	Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D004326	Drinking	The consumption of liquids.	Water Consumption,Water Intake,Drinkings
D005849	Gerbillinae	A subfamily of the Muridae consisting of several genera including Gerbillus, Rhombomys, Tatera, Meriones, and Psammomys.	Gerbils,Jird,Meriones,Psammomys,Rats, Sand,Gerbil,Jirds,Merione,Rat, Sand,Sand Rat,Sand Rats
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia