Tokura H, Aschoff J
Jpn J Physiol. 1979;29(2):151-7. doi: 10.2170/jjphysiol.29.151.
Locomotor activity was recorded from three squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, housed singly in cages inside a sound-proof chamber. Each animal was exposed twice to each of three conditions; continuous dim illumination (dim LL), continuous bright illumination (bright LL), and conditions in which the animal could turn on bright light by itself (self-controlled light-dark cycle: LDs). The mean circadian period, tau, the activity time, alpha, and the amount of activity, A, were computed for each single condition. It was found that, in LL, tau, alpha and A were positively correlated with the intensity of illumination. In LDs, tau was longer and A larger than in either dim or bright LL. The lengthening of tau in squirrel monkeys by a self-controlled light-dark cycle is compared with similar findings in birds and man, and is discussed in view of the observation that the tau-characteristics of diurnal mammals deviate from those known from other diurnal species of vertebrates.
在隔音室内，单独饲养在笼子里的三只松鼠猴（松鼠猴属）的运动活动被记录下来。每只动物都在三种条件下各接受两次实验；持续弱光照明（暗光LL）、持续强光照明（亮光LL），以及动物可以自行开启亮光的条件（自控明暗循环：LDs）。针对每种单一条件计算平均昼夜节律周期（τ）、活动时间（α）和活动量（A）。结果发现，在LL条件下，τ、α和A与光照强度呈正相关。在LDs条件下，τ比暗光或亮光LL条件下更长，A也更大。将松鼠猴通过自控明暗循环导致的τ延长与鸟类和人类的类似发现进行了比较，并鉴于昼夜哺乳动物的τ特征与其他昼夜脊椎动物物种已知的特征有所不同这一观察结果进行了讨论。
