Feeding behavior and entrainment limits in the circadian system of the rat.

The entrainment limits of the circadian rhythms of feeding activity were studied in Wistar rats exposed to gradually increasing and decreasing or to static light-dark cycles. In the former, the entrainment limits of feeding behavior were 22 h 10 min and 26 h 40 min. In the latter, the upper limit was higher, because rats under zeitgeber period (t) length = 27 h (t27) and t28 met the criteria of entrainment. The lower limit, on the other hand, was not modified because none of the t22 animals showed entrained rhythms and one-half of the t23 rats exhibited two components in their circadian feeding rhythms, one with a period of 23 h and the other free running. This 23-h component reflected not only the masking effect of light-dark cycles but also seemed a true light-entrained component. In well-synchronized animals, food intake seemed to depend more on the number of cycles that the animal experienced than on actual time lived; however, other feeding parameters, such as meal frequency and feeding duration, remained constant when expressed per 24 h, irrespective of the t cycle. These results concerning feeding duration, meal frequency, and food intake revealed that the homeostatic and circadian controls interacted to a degree that depended on the type of variable considered. In conclusion, the entrainment limits appeared much more imprecise than they were previously thought to be, because the circadian system can only be partially synchronized near its entrainment limits. The hypothesis that the rat's circadian system is composed of multiple oscillators with different intrinsic frequencies and varying capacities for light synchronization would explain the partial desynchronization observed near the entrainment limits.