Abstract
This study was undertaken to confirm previous findings that Long-Evans rats exhibit age-related changes in the diurnal/nocturnal distribution of water intake and to examine the circadian pattern of these age-related changes. Twenty-one aged and 10 young pathogen-free rats were continuously monitored for water consumption over 12:12 h light/dark cycles. ANOVA, profile analysis, and cosinor analysis each demonstrated that aged rats differed from young rats. The age-related changes in circadian pattern can be described as a blunted rhythm (decreased amplitude) and an altered timing of peak activity (advanced acrophase). These differences, however, were only apparent in a subset of aged rats with the remaining aged rats exhibiting a circadian pattern indistinguishable from that of the young group.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 196-203 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Behavioral and Neural Biology |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology