Continuous exposure to dim illumination uncouples temporal patterns of sleep, body temperature, locomotion and drinking behavior in the rat.
Dissociable circadian rhythms of sleep and body temperature in primates are thought to be regulated by independent oscillators whereas the uncoupling of circadian rhythms has not been well described in other mammals. Therefore, we made simultaneous recordings of non-rapid-eye-movement-sleep (NREMS), rapid-eye-movement-sleep (REMS), brain temperature, intraperitoneal temperature, locomotion and drinking activity under light-dark (LD) and continuous dim illumination (dim LL) and analyzed their interrelations. The rhythmic patterns of body temperature, locomotion and drinking were modified on the 12th circadian day of dim LL, while the mean body temperature as well as mean occurrence of drinking and locomotor activities did not change significantly. In contrast, dim LL exposure significantly increased the total time spent in NREMS during the resting phase of dim LL and increased REMS episodes during the active phase of dim LL. The diverse effects of dim LL exposure on the recorded phenomena suggest that temporal patterns of sleep were the most sensitive to perturbations of lighting and that differential oscillatory mechanisms may regulate sleep and other circadian rhythms in the rat.