Biomedical subjects

T J Bartness

Publications and source records attributed to T J Bartness.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Effects of food deprivation and metabolic fuel utilization on food hoarding by jirds (Meriones shawi).

Food hoarding plays an important role in the energetic repertoire of a variety of mammalian species. Both food hoarding and food intake have been examined in rodents using several energetic challenges including food deprivation, treatment with metabolic fuel blockers, and enhancement of fuel storage. In the present experiment, we examined food hoarding by female jirds (Meriones shawi), a desert rodent species occupying the arid steppes and desert regions of Egypt. Jirds are prodigious hoarders in the field; however, virtually nothing is known about their hoarding within controlled laboratory settings. In the present study, the effects of food deprivation as well as alterations in metabolic fuel utilization (i.e., 2-deoxy-D-glucose and isophane insulin) on food hoarding and food intake were tested in female jirds using a simulated burrow system. Jirds decreased body mass and increased food consumption following either 32 or 56-h food deprivation. Food hoarding, however, was virtually abolished after food deprivation and treatment with 2-DG. In contrast, isophane insulin treatment had no effect on food consumption or hoarding in this species. Taken together, the present results suggest that total body mass (fat), rather than short-term metabolic fuel utilization, regulates both food consumption and hoarding in female jirds. In addition, these results provide a novel set of appetitive responses to these energetic challenges in small mammals.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1999

CNS origins of the sympathetic nervous system outflow to brown adipose tissue.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a critical role in cold- and diet-induced thermogenesis. Although BAT is densely innervated by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), little is known about the central nervous system (CNS) origins of this innervation. The purpose of the present experiment was to determine the neuroanatomic chain of functionally connected neurons from the CNS to BAT. A transneuronal viral tract tracer, Bartha's K strain of the pseudorabies virus (PRV), was injected into the interscapular BAT of Siberian hamsters. The animals were killed 4 and 6 days postinjection, and the infected neurons were visualized by immunocytochemistry. PRV-infected neurons were found in the spinal cord, brain stem, midbrain, and forebrain. The intensity of labeled neurons in the forebrain varied from heavy infections in the medial preoptic area and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus to few infections in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, with moderate infections in the suprachiasmatic and lateral hypothalamic nuclei. These results define the SNS outflow from the brain to BAT for the first time in any species.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗

PubMed1998

Dorsocaudal SCN microknife-cuts do not block short day responses in Siberian hamsters given melatonin infusions.

Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) undergo photoperiod-induced physiological and behavioral adaptations. These adaptations, including changes in reproductive and metabolic status, are triggered by the pineal gland through the nocturnal secretion of its principal hormone, melatonin. The possible CNS sites of melatonin action determined through radiolabeled melatonin binding include the paraventricular and reuniens nuclei of the thalamus and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). However, we do not know the mechanisms and circuitry involved in the transmission of melatonin signals. Bilateral electrolytic lesions of the SCN (SCNx) block the responses to short day-like (long duration) melatonin signals delivered daily via the timed infusion paradigm, suggesting that the SCN receives and transmits short-day melatonin signals. The purpose of the present experiment was to answer the following question: are short-day melatonin signals transmitted to other brain structures from the SCN through its dorsomedial/dorsocaudal fiber projections? Pinealectomized adult male hamsters given horizontal knife cuts (kc) just dorsocaudal to the SCN (SCN-kc), sham-kc, or SCNx were given daily subcutaneous short day-like melatonin infusions via the timed infusion paradigm for 6 weeks. Only the hamsters given SCNx exhibited long day-like gonadal, epididymal fat pad, and body masses. Therefore, short day melatonin signals received by the SCN were not transmitted to other areas of the central nervous system through SCN efferents projecting dorsomedially or dorsocaudally.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1998

Central nervous system origins of the sympathetic nervous system outflow to white adipose tissue.

White adipose tissue (WAT) is innervated by postganglionic sympathetic nervous system (SNS) neurons, suggesting that lipid mobilization could be regulated by the SNS [T. G. Youngstrom and T. J. Bartness. Am. J. Physiol. 268 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 37): R744-R751, 1995]. A viral transsynaptic retrograde tract tracer, the pseudorabies virus (PRV), was used to identify the origins of the SNS outflow from the brain to WAT neuroanatomically. PRV was injected into epididymal or inguinal WAT (EWAT and IWAT, respectively) of Siberian hamsters and IWAT of rats. PRV-infected neurons were visualized by immunocytochemistry and found in the spinal cord, brain stem (medulla, nucleus of the solitary tract, caudal raphe nucleus, C1 and A5 regions), midbrain (central gray), and several areas within the forebrain. The general pattern of infection of WAT in both species was more similar than different and resembled that seen after PRV injections into the adrenal medulla in rats (A. M. Strack, W. B. Sawyer, J. H. Hughes, K. B. Platt, and A. D. Loewy. Brain Res. 491: 156-162, 1989). EWAT versus IWAT injected hamsters had relatively less labeling in the suprachiasmatic, dorsomedial, and arcuate nuclei. Overall, it appeared that the SNS innervation of WAT originates from the general SNS outflow of the central nervous system and therefore may play a significant role in lipid mobilization.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1998

Innervation of mammalian white adipose tissue: implications for the regulation of total body fat.

We review the extensive physiological and neuroanatomical evidence for the innervation of white adipose tissue (WAT) by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) as well as what is known about the sensory innervation of this tissue. The SNS innervation of WAT appears to be a part of the general SNS outflow from the central nervous system, consisting of structures and connections throughout the neural axis. The innervation of WAT by the SNS could play a role in the regulation of total body fat in general, most likely plays an important role in regional differences in lipid mobilization specifically, and may have a trophic affect on WAT. The exact nature of the SNS innervation of WAT is not known but it may involve contact with adipocytes and/or their associated vasculature. We hypothesize that the SNS innervation of WAT is an important contributor to the apparent "regulation" of total body fat.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1998

White adipose tissue sympathetic nervous system denervation increases fat pad mass and fat cell number.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) drive on white adipose tissue (WAT) was varied to test its effects on fat cell number (FCN) under conditions in which lipolysis would be minimized and therefore partially separable from SNS trophic effects. The inguinal subcutaneous WAT (IWAT) pad of Siberian hamsters was chosen because 1) it is innervated by the SNS, 2) short day (SD) exposure increases its SNS drive (approximately 250%) without proportionately increasing lipolysis, and 3) surgical denervation eliminates its SNS innervation. IWAT was either unilaterally surgically or sham denervated, while the contralateral pad was left intact. In long day- or SD-exposed hamsters (11 wk), IWAT denervation decreased norepinephrine content (approximately 80%) and increased fat pad mass (approximately 200%) and FCN (approximately 250 and approximately 180%, respectively) compared with the contralateral intact pads, but did not affect fat cell size (FCS). The denervation-induced increased FCN in SDs occurred despite naturally occurring decreased food intake. SDs decreased IWAT FCS regardless of the surgical treatment. These results support an important role of WAT SNS innervation in the control of FCN in vivo.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1998

Photoperiodic responses of four wild-trapped desert rodent species.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the photoperiod on reproductive status and body and lipid masses in four Egyptian desert rodent species (Dipodillus dasyurus, Acomys cahirinus, Gerbillus andersoni, and Gerbillus pyramidum). Adult males and females were housed in long days for 11 wk. At that time, one-half of the animals were killed and the remaining animals were moved to short days (SDs) for 11 wk. Some individuals of Gerbillus andersoni and Gerbillus pyramidum had access to running wheels. Testes index and spermatogenesis, but not testis mass, were decreased in all species in SDs. In contrast, SDs did not affect female reproductive status in all species. Exercise stimulated spermatogenesis but did not affect female reproductive status. SDs increased body and lipid masses in male Acomys cahirinus, but not in other species. Collectively, these desert rodent species were responsive to day length changes, but these changes alone did not induce robust alterations in reproductive status and body and lipid masses.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1997

Temporal changes in fat pad mass and cellularity after lipectomy in Siberian hamsters.

Long-day-housed Siberian hamsters show increases in the mass of nonexcised white adipose tissue (WAT) 12 weeks after bilateral removal (x) of epididymal WAT (EWAT). Although EWAT shows no significant regeneration, surviving EWAT appears to increase in mass to a small degree. The purpose of the present study was to determine the time course for fat pad mass and cellularity changes after EWATx and to test whether surviving EWAT adipocytes undergo hypertrophy or hyperplasia. Male Siberian hamsters underwent EWATx or sham EWATx (SHAM). At Week 0 and at 2-week intervals up to 12 weeks postsurgery, a representative sample of animals from each group were killed. EWAT, retroperitoneal WAT (RWAT), and inguinal WAT (IWAT) were removed, weighed, and processed for cellularity measurement. IWAT and, to a nonsignificant degree, RWAT, increased in mass after EWATx due to fat cell hypertrophy. These changes began as early as Week 4 postlipectomy, but no mass or cellularity change was significant until Week 12. The surviving EWAT adipocytes of EWATx hamsters also were larger than those of SHAM hamsters and, unlike EWAT adipocyte number, increased with time within the EWATx group. SHAM hamsters showed slight increases in the mass of EWAT, but not IWAT or RWAT, due to a nonsignificant doubling of EWAT adipocyte number during the 3 months of the experiment.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1997

Food hoarding is increased by pregnancy, lactation, and food deprivation in Siberian hamsters.

Food hoarding by male Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) is increased only when body mass (fat) is decreased. Pregnancy and lactation result in marked decreases in lipid reserves (approximately 50%) in female Siberian hamsters. Therefore, the present experiments addressed the following questions: 1) Is food hoarding increased after food deprivation in female Siberian hamsters? and 2) How do food hoarding and food intake change during pregnancy, lactation, and their combination? During measurements in a simulated burrow system food hoarding increased after a 32-h fast (approximately 2- to 3-fold) to a level similar to that seen previously in males and was markedly increased during pregnancy (approximately 12- to 18-fold, lactation, and concurrent pregnancy and lactation (approximately 10- to 25-fold for each of the latter 2 conditions). Postfast food intake was not different from prefast baseline measures. Food intake was increased only during the last few days of pregnancy and was elevated throughout lactation. These impressive increases in the level of food hoarding during pregnancy, lactation and their combination suggest that food hoarding may play an important role in supplying easily accessible energy to subserve these reproductive conditions.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed1997

Short-day-like body weight changes do not prevent fat pad compensation after lipectomy in Siberian hamsters.

Long-day (LD)-housed Siberian hamsters show compensatory increases in white adipose tissue (WAT) weight after lipectomy, whereas hamsters exposed to short days (SDs) for a long duration (22 wk) do not. We tested whether SD-induced body weight changes prevent fat pad compensation after lipectomy. In experiment 1, hamsters with lesions of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVNx) rapidly increased body weight similarly to 22-wk SD-exposed hamsters. In experiment 2, LD-housed hamsters were food restricted for 22 wk and then pair fed with SD-housed hamsters for 12 wk to produce body weight changes mimicking those of ad libitum-fed SD-exposed animals. Epididymal WAT (EWAT) lipectomy (EWATx) of PVNx or food-restricted hamsters elicited compensatory increases in retroperitoneal and inguinal WAT (RWAT and IWAT) weights. Unlike other fat pads, EWAT was less affected by food restriction or PVNx than by SD exposure. In general, food restriction decreased adipocyte number, whereas SD exposure decreased adipocyte size. PVNx increased RWAT adipocyte size and IWAT adipocyte number. These results suggest that the lack of body fat compensation by EWATx hamsters exposed to SDs for a long duration is due to SD-associated responses other than body weight changes per se.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1997

Partial lipectomy, but not PVN lesions, increases food hoarding by Siberian hamsters.

We tested the inverse relationship between body fat and food hoarding in Siberian hamsters by decreasing or increasing body fat through partial surgical lipectomy (LIPX) or by making obesity-inducing lesions of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVNx), respectively. We asked three questions. 1) Is food hoarding increased after body fat loss due to LIPX? 2) Is food hoarding decreased after PVNx? 3) Does PVNx affect the hoarding response to LIPX? Hamsters housed in a simulated burrow system increased food hoarding after LIPX followed by a decrease to pre-LIPX levels as body fat was partially compensated through an increase in the mass of their unoperated fat pads. PVNx hamsters had increased body mass and food intake but did not have decreased food hoarding, nor was food hoarding increased by LIPX in PVNx hamsters. The partial body fat compensation by LIPX + PVNx hamsters suggests that the damaged PVN did not cause a general failure to sense energy deficits but did affect the ability to integrate internal and external energy stores.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1997

Fat pad-specific compensatory mass increases after varying degrees of lipectomy in Siberian hamsters.

Long day-housed Siberian hamsters show compensatory mass increases in inguinal (I) white adipose tissue (WAT) after epididymal WAT pad (EWAT) removal (x) but do not increase EWAT mass after IWATx. This study tested whether EWAT is specifically unresponsive to IWATx or whether EWAT lacks responsiveness to body fat deficits in general. We also tested whether the compensatory mass increases that occur after side-specific body fat removal are unilateral or bilateral. Therefore EWAT and/or IWAT was removed unilaterally or bilaterally. The compensatory changes in WAT mass by the intact fat pads were measured 12 wk later. EWAT did not compensate for removal of its contralateral mate. Retroperitoneal WAT and IWAT showed greater compensatory mass increases ipsilateral to the side of fat pad removal when EWAT or IWAT pads were removed unilaterally but not after removal of larger amounts of body fat. These results suggest the following: 1) in general, the greater the lipectomy-induced lipid deficit, the greater is the relative fat pad mass compensation; 2) the restoration of body fat content after lipectomy may involve mechanisms that can detect the side of the lipid deficit and enhance fat deposition on this side; and 3) EWAT does not show compensatory mass increases after lipectomy.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1996

NPY stimulation of food intake in Siberian hamsters is not photoperiod dependent.

Siberian hamsters (phodopus sungorus sungorus) show naturally occurring seasonal cycles of food intake that are triggered by changes in the photoperiod. In long "summer-like" days (LD) food intake is at its peak, whereas in short "winter-like" days (SD) food intake reaches a nadir. Although the mechanisms underlying these changes in food intake are unknown, results from previous studies suggest that the ability to stimulate or inhibit food intake in Siberian hamsters complements the naturally occurring food intake cycle. Thus, inhibitors of food intake are more effective in SDs, whereas stimulators of food intake are more effective in LDs. A stimulator of food intake in a wide variety of species is neuropeptide Y (NPY). Therefore, we explored the ability of NPY to stimulate food intake in Siberian hamsters. In addition, we tested whether the efficacy of NPY to stimulate food intake was photoperiod dependent. In Experiment 1, LD-housed adult male hamsters were given a series of NPY doses (0.078-10.0 micrograms) intracerebroventricularly (ICV) into the third ventricle and food intake was measured 30 min, 1, 2, and 4 h postinjection. NPY was a potent stimulator of food intake with the 7.5 micrograms dose of NPY producing the greatest increase at 30 min. In Experiment 2, adult male hamsters were housed in LDs or SDs and were given various doses of NPY ranging from 0.039-7.5 micrograms. NPY given ICV stimulated food intake to the same degree in LDs as in SDs with the greatest increases in food intake occurring in the hamsters receiving the 2.5 and 5.0 micrograms dose of NPY. In addition, Siberian hamsters were very sensitive to NPY with the lowest effective dose (0.0585 microgram) that stimulated food intake being six times smaller than in other rodents tested. Collectively, these results showed that Siberian hamsters were more sensitive to the stimulatory effect of NPY on food intake than any other species, but that the ability of NPY to stimulate feeding was not photoperiod dependent.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Daylength and body mass affect diet self-selection by Siberian hamsters.

Siberian hamsters exhibit a decrease in peak body mass/fat and caloric intake when they are exposed to short winter-like days (SDs) compared with hamsters exposed to long summer-like days (LDs). We hypothesize that the photoperiod may directly or indirectly mediate alterations in gustatory processing that may account for shifts in the preferences for specific food types and/or macronutrients. Two experiments lasting 14 days each were conducted to: 1) identify photoperiod-related differences in diet selection, and; 2) determine whether these differences were a primary effect of SD exposure or a secondary effect due to SD-induced decreases in body fat/mass. In Experiment 1, two groups of hamsters were exposed to either LDs or SDs and given access to three complex food types [sunflower seeds (SF); rabbit chow (RC); millet seeds (M)]. In addition to their photoperiod-induced decreased body and fat pad mass, and caloric intake, SD-housed hamsters exhibited significant differences in their patterns of diet selection and relative amounts of fat, carbohydrate (COH), and protein eaten compared with LD-housed hamsters. By the end of the experiment, SD-housed hamsters selected a diet higher in COH and protein and lower in fat than that selected by LD-housed hamsters. Because SD-housed hamsters decrease their body mass/fat, this may reflect an adaptive strategy to maintain a leaner body mass. A second experiment was conducted to test whether the diet selection pattern of SD-housed hamsters was due to the SD-induced decrease in body mass/fat. LD-housed hamsters were allowed to feed ad lib (AL group), or were food restricted (FR group) to simulate a SD-induced decrease in body mass. Both groups were then released into the diet self-selection paradigm. FR hamsters reversed their food restriction-induced decrease in body mass and showed concurrent alterations in diet self-selection patterns that were distinct from the SD-induced patterns seen in Experiment 1. Specifically, they showed a persistent hyperphagia and selected a larger proportion of their total calories as M (high COH) and less as SF (high fat) than did AL hamsters during their return to LD body mass levels. However, once LD body mass levels were achieved, they increased their SF intake, and thus fat consumption. Despite these dynamic daily changes, the average selection patterns of both the diet types and macronutrients were not different by the end of the experiment. Therefore, it appears that the SD-induced changes in the selection of food sources (and ultimately, the macronutrient composition of the diet) cannot be solely attributable to the SD-induced decreases in body mass.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1996

Food deprivation-induced increases in hoarding by Siberian hamsters are not photoperiod-dependent.

Siberian hamsters increase food hoarding in response to chronic food restriction and food deprivation, conditions that lead to a loss of body mass and fat. Therefore, the first purpose of the present experiments was to test further the effects of food deprivation on food hoarding by varying the length and order of repeated fasts to address the following questions: 1. Does the magnitude of the food-hoarding response increase as food deprivation length increases? 2, Is the effect of good deprivation on food hoarding experience-dependent? Second, we were interested in testing the effects of short winter-like days (SDs) on food hoarding. We tested this by measuring food hoarding in long days (LDs) and SDs during baseline conditions and after food deprivation to address the following question: Does SD exposure increase baseline and food deprivation-induced hoarding due to the naturally occurring SD-induced decreases in body fat? During each experiment, we were interested in determining how hamsters utilize their food hoard (i.e., add to it and eat from it). Our results extended those of our previous studies in showing that: 1. Food-deprivation length and the initial food-hoard size were not related to one another; 2. The maintenance of food-hoard size was proportional to the length of the fast; 3. The effects of a bout of food deprivation on food hoarding were dependent upon the lengths of previous fasts; 4. Baseline food hoarding was not different between LD- and SD-exposed hamsters; 5. The maintenance of food-hoard size, but not the initial fast-induced increases in food-hoard size, were increased in SDs; 6. Hamsters ate approximately 25-33% of their daily food intake from the food hoard under all conditions, with the degree of food replacement increasing as fast length was increased; and 7. The typical SD-induced decrease in food intake was reflected in the food eaten from the food supply found outside the burrow, but food eaten from the hoard was increased. Collectively, the results of the present experiments suggest that the initiation of food hoarding may be associated with short-term fluctuations in energy metabolism associated with fasting, but that the more long-term decreases in body mass (fat) are involved in the maintenance of food-hoard size.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Photoperiod, sex, gonadal steroids, and housing density affect body fat in hamsters.

Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) show seasonal cycles in body mass with the peak mass occurring in the summer and the nadir in the winter. These naturally occurring changes in body mass are triggered by changes in the photoperiod and are mimicked in the laboratory by transferring male or female hamsters from long "summer-like" days (LDs) to short "winter-like" days (SDs). During the initial exposure to SDs (1-6 weeks), the decreases in body fat are not uniform and are associated with the relative preferential depletion of internally located intraperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) pads compared with the more externally located subcutaneous WAT pads. This pattern of lipid depletion only occurs in males. The purpose of the present experiments was to explore further the SD-induced gender- and fat pad-specific relative decreases in fat pad mass by answering the following questions: 1) What are the underlying alterations in adipose tissue cellularity associated with the SD-induced changes in fat pad mass? 2) Does housing density affect these decreases in fat pad mass? and 3) Can these changes in WAT mass be altered by gonadal steroid manipulation? In Experiment 1, adult male and female gonadally intact Siberian hamsters were housed singly or 10 hamsters per cage. In Experiment 2, adult male and female hamsters were left gonadally intact or gonadectomized. Castrated males received a cholesterol control (CHOL), testosterone (T), or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implant, whereas ovariectomized females received CHOL or estradiol implant. Six weeks after surgery and implantation, half the animals in each group in both experiments were transferred to SDs for an additional 6 weeks, whereas the others remained in LDs. It was found that: 1) the SD-induced decrease in fat pad mass was reflected primarily as decreased fat cell size, 2) the relative pattern of SD-induced lipid depletion only was seen in single-housed males, 3) T or estradiol treatment reversed the effects of gonadectomy in both photoperiods, 4) despite the restoration of LD serum concentrations for both hormones, T only reversed the SD-induced decrease in body mass and food intake, whereas estradiol only reversed the SD-induced decrease in RWAT pad mass, and 5) DHT treatment exaggerated the SD-induced decreases in body mass and food intake. Collectively, these results showed that: a) short photoperiod-mediated changes in fat pad mass are due to fluctuations only in fat cell size, b) housing density affected the relative pattern of SD-induced lipid depletion in males, whereas most other photosensitive responses did not differ between single- and group-housed hamsters, and c) many of the SD-induced responses were gonadal steroid independent.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1996

Photoperiod-dependent fat pad mass and cellularity changes after partial lipectomy in Siberian hamsters.

Long day (LD)-housed Siberian hamsters show compensatory mass increases in nonexcised white adipose tissue (WAT) after partial lipectomy, whereas hamsters exposed to short days (SDs) for 22 wk do not. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the cellularity changes underlying lipectomy-induced WAT compensation and whether the duration of SD exposure affects this compensation. Male Siberian hamsters were epididymal (E) or inguinal (I) WAT lipectomized (x) or sham-lipectomized (Sham) and either remained in LDs or were transferred to SDs and killed 6 or 12 wk later. In LDs, lipectomized hamsters showed compensatory mass increases in retroperitoneal WAT (RWAT) due to hyperplasia. IWAT mass also was increased by approximately 40% in LD-housed EWATx hamsters because of nonsignificant increases in adipocyte size and number at weeks 6 and 12, respectively. SD-housed hamsters responded to lipectomy by delaying the SD-associated body fat loss so that RWAT mass was reduced only one-third as much in lipectomized as in Sham hamsters, and the IWAT adipocytes of EWATx hamsters were larger than in Sham hamsters at week 6. At week 12, there was little indication of fat pad compensation by SD-housed hamsters. Collectively, the results of the present experiment and our previous study (16) suggest that the inhibitory effect of SDs on fat pad compensation after lipectomy increases with prolonged SD exposure.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1996

The effects of anterior hypothalamic lesions on short-day responses in Siberian hamsters given timed melatonin infusions.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is an area of dense 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin binding in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) that is suggestive of a possible role in the reception and/or relaying of melatonin (MEL) signals. Indeed, in pinealectomized male Siberian hamsters given short day (SD) MEL signals (long-duration MEL infusions), lesions of the SCN (SCNx) block testicular regression and decreases in body and fat pad masses seen in identically treated hamsters with sham lesions (SCNs). In similar studies using Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), anterior hypothalamic lesions (AHx), but not SCNx, blocked SD MEL signal-induced gonadal regression despite the similarity in the 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin binding pattern between the two species. The discrepancy between the ability of SCNx to block the reception of SD MEL signals between the two species is puzzling, given the similarity in the reproductive status of the Syrian and Siberian hamsters to systemically administered and timed MEL infusions. One possible way of reconciling the differences between these studies was that ancillary damage to areas neighboring the SCN, including the AH, may have occurred in our attempt to achieve complete SCNx in Siberian hamsters. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to challenge AHx Siberian hamsters with SD MEL signals. Adult male hamsters were pinealectomized, fitted with subcutaneous catheters, and given daily timed infusions of MEL for 5 or 10 h (long day-like and short day-like, respectively) or the saline vehicle for 6 wk following bilateral electrolytic, or sham (AHs) lesions of the AH. Hamsters receiving 10 h MEL infusions that lacked evidence of anatomical or functional damage to the SCN showed SD-like gonadal regression, decreases in body and fat pad mass, and food intake similar to that observed in AHs animals. In contrast, 10 h MEL-infused SCNx hamsters did not exhibit SD-like responses, a finding confirming our previous report. These data suggest that interspecies differences exist between Syrian and Siberian hamsters in central nervous system sites and pathways involved in the reception/transmission of SD MEL signals.

Adipose Tissue↗