Effects of a daylight cycle reversal on locomotor activity in several inbred strains of mice.

There is some evidence of melatonin implication in the nycthemeral regulation of running activity rhythm in rodents. Because some inbred strains of mice such as C57BL/6 and BALB/c have been generally found to present no nocturnal melatonin peak, in contrast to others such as C3H/He and CBA mice, the aim of this study was to examine the adaptation of daily locomotor activity to a light/dark cycle phase shift in these four strains. An apparatus consisting of two boxes connected by a tunnel was used to record spontaneous locomotor activity, defined as the number of transitions between the two boxes. Locomotor activity was monitored continuously during 3 days before and 14 days after a 12-h phase delay of the light/dark cycle. Results essentially showed that the adaptation of the locomotor activity rhythm to the phase shift was faster in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice than in C3H/He and CBA mice. This could be related, at least in part, to the differences in melatonin synthesis between the former strains and the latter ones. Although melatonin nocturnal peak is not necessary to a daylight regulation of circadian functions in rodents, it could be considered as an endocrine message that takes part in the anticipation of the following light/dark cycle.