Assessment of Circadian and Light-Entrainable Parameters in XXXX Using Wheel-Running Activity.

@entity1 @entity19 @entity25
In most organisms, physiological variables are regulated by an internal clock. This endogenous circadian (   24-hr) clock enables organisms to anticipate daily environmental changes and modify behavioral and physiological functions appropriately. Processes regulated by the circadian clock include @entity25 , core body temperature, metabolism, water/food intake, and available hormone levels. At the core of the @entity1 circadian system are molecular oscillations within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. These oscillations are modifiable by signals from the environment (so called zeitgebers or time-givers) and, once integrated within the suprachiasmatic nucleus, are conveyed to remote neural circuits where output rhythms are regulated. Disrupting any of a number of neural processes can affect how rhythms are generated and relayed to the periphery and disturbances in circadian/entrainment parameters are associated with numerous @entity1 conditions. These non-invasive protocols can be used to determine whether circadian/entrainment parameters are affected in @entity19 mutants or treatment groups. Curr. Protoc. @entity19 Biol. 1:369-381    2011 by John Wiley _ Sons, Inc.
