Pattern of thyrotropin and thyroxine plasma concentrations during the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle in the male rhesus monkey.

The 24-h pattern of the plasma TSH concentration was investigated in five male rhesus monkeys prepared chronically with right atrial catheters and electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes. The preparation allowed frequent blood sampling (every 15 min), TV monitoring, and EEG recording from the adjacent room for extended periods of time from undisturbed animals. In addition, nap deprivation, 5 h total sleep deprivation, and specific sleep stage deprivation experiments were performed in order to test their influence on the TSH pattern. T4 was also determined in approximately half of the profiles during undisturbed conditions. Both TSH and T4 patterns consisted of low amplitude, high frequency fluctuations which, however, did not exceed the assay variation. TSH showed superimposed higher amplitude spikes at unpredictable times (0-5/24-h). Intra- and interanimal variabilities of both TSH and T4 patterns were high. Power spectral maxima of the TSH time series indicated periodicities between 30-75 min which were not significant. No nyctohemeral difference in the TSH or T4 pattern or their mean concentrations was found, and there was no consistent pattern of a circadian cycle. Independent changes of average TSH and T4 concentrations were seen in 5 of the 16 profiles during undisturbed conditions, under which both hormones were determined. Cross-correlation analysis of the hormonal time series revealed no significant relation between TSH and T4 patterns. The deprivation procedures had no significant influence on the day or nighttime pattern of TSH. Cross-correlation analysis showed no relation between TSH and either activity during the day or sleep stages during the night. It is concluded that in the rhesus monkey, in contrast to man, TSH secretion shows no circadian variation and is not influenced by the sleep-wake cycle.