Bobbert A C, Krul W H, Brandenburg J
Int J Chronobiol. 1978;5(1):307-25.
Rabbits that have been exposed to the natural cycles of day and night exhibit marked diurnal changes in the shape of their Visual Evoked Potential in constant environmental conditions. The results of exposure to artificial 24 hr light-dark cycles strongly suggest that it is the regular alternation of daylight and darkness which acts as the synchronizing "Zeitgeber" for the V.E.P. rhythm which exists after exposure to the natural cycles of day and night. It would seem further that the V.E.P. changes reflect a square-wave like rhythm in the sensitivity of the visual system to photic stimuli, in which the sensitivity is much higher at night than in the day-time. The probable importance of the diurnal V.E.P. rhythm for the occurrence of daily fluctuations in behaviour is discussed.
暴露于自然昼夜循环的兔子，在恒定环境条件下，其视觉诱发电位的形状呈现出明显的昼夜变化。暴露于人工24小时明暗循环的结果强烈表明，正是日光和黑暗的有规律交替，作为同步“时间信号”，作用于暴露于自然昼夜循环后存在的视觉诱发电位节律。进一步看来，视觉诱发电位的变化反映了视觉系统对光刺激敏感性的一种类似方波的节律，其中夜间的敏感性远高于白天。本文讨论了昼夜视觉诱发电位节律对于行为每日波动发生的可能重要性。
