Brenna Andrea, Ripperger Jürgen A, Albrecht Urs
Section of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Bio Protoc. 2025 Feb 20;15(4):e5187. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5187.
The circadian clock regulates biochemical and physiological processes to anticipate changes in light, temperature, and food availability over 24 h. Natural or artificial changes in white/blue lighting exposure (e.g., seasonal changes, jet lag, or shift work) can advance or delay the clock phase to synchronize physiology with the new environmental conditions. These changes can be monitored through behavioral experiments in circadian research based on the analysis of locomotor activity by measuring wheel-running revolutions. The protocol includes measuring the internal period length in constant darkness and administering nocturnal light pulses to mice kept either in light/dark conditions (LD 12:12, Aschoff-type II protocol) or continuous darkness (DD, Aschoff-type I). Here, we describe a step-by-step guide for researchers to analyze the mouse circadian clock using wheel-running experiments and ClockLab (Actimetrics) to quantify data. Key features • This protocol builds upon the method developed by Jud et al. [1], optimized for digital analysis using the ClockLab software. • Step-by-step tutorial on measuring period length, analyzing periodograms, assessing general activity, and determining phase shifts (Aschoff Type I and II).
生物钟调节生物化学和生理过程，以预测24小时内光照、温度和食物可获得性的变化。白/蓝光暴露的自然或人为变化（如季节变化、时差或轮班工作）可使生物钟相位提前或延迟，从而使生理机能与新的环境条件同步。在昼夜节律研究中，这些变化可以通过行为实验进行监测，该实验基于通过测量转轮旋转次数来分析运动活动。该方案包括在持续黑暗中测量内部周期长度，以及对处于明/暗条件（LD 12:12，阿绍夫II型方案）或持续黑暗（DD，阿绍夫I型）中的小鼠施加夜间光脉冲。在此，我们为研究人员描述了一个逐步指南，以使用转轮实验和ClockLab（Actimetrics）分析小鼠生物钟并量化数据。关键特征 • 本方案基于Jud等人[1]开发的方法，针对使用ClockLab软件进行数字分析进行了优化。 • 关于测量周期长度、分析周期图、评估一般活动以及确定相位偏移（阿绍夫I型和II型）的逐步教程。
