Evidence for a photoperiod-sensitive pacemaker for estrous cycle of the rat.

To define how the periodicity of light regulates reproductive cyclicity in the rat, animals were exposed to slightly altered photoperiods in which the light/dark ratio was maintained as in the control (14L + 10D) environment. Exposure to a 22.5-h photoperiod (13.125L + 9.375D) for 10-80 days induced a significant prolongation of the first and all subsequent vaginal cycles by about 30 h. Ovulation in these animals was normal. By contrast, exposure to a 26-h photoperiod (15.167L + 10.833D) had no significant effect on vaginal cyclicity. A comparison of the data with theoreticaly generated results revealed that a significant prolongation of the estrous cycle under conditions of a shortened photoperiod cannot be accounted for by a simple entrainment of the estrous cycle to the timing of the new circadian rhythm. Rather, the evidence suggested that a photoperiod-entrained rhythm may interact with a second rhythm of different periodicity to alter the duration of the reproductive cycle as measured in this study.