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Science 15 February 1985:
Vol. 227. no. 4688, pp. 714 - 720
DOI: 10.1126/science.3881822

Articles

Science, Vol 227, Issue 4688, 714-720
Copyright © 1985 by American Association for the Advancement of Science


articles

Melatonin: a coordinating signal for mammalian reproduction?

L Tamarkin, CJ Baird, and OF Almeida

There is a daily rhythm in the production of the pineal hormone melatonin in all mammalian species. Production is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. This provides a signal reflecting the changing environmental lighting cycle. In seasonally breeding mammals that use changes in the photoperiod to time their reproductive cycles, temporal signals to the reproductive system are controlled by the daily rhythm in melatonin production.


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Transcriptional control of circadian hormone synthesis via the CREM feedback loop.
N. S. Foulkes, J. Borjigin, S. H. Snyder, and P. Sassone-Corsi (1996)
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Light Control of the Duration of the Daily Melatonin Signal Under Long and Short Days in the Soay Ram: Role of Inhibition and Entrainment.
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Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Dependent Variables in Mood Disorder Research.
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Sensitivity of Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) to Amplitudes and Rates of Photoperiodic Change Typical of the Tropics.
P. D. Heideman and F.H. Bronson (1993)
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Phase Shifts in the Circadian Rhythm in Plasma Concentrations of Melatonin in Rams Induced by a 1-Hour Light Pulse.
K.-I. Maeda and G.A. Lincoln (1990)
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Illuminance Threshold for Maintenance of Testes in Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) Is Higher in Continuous Light than in Long Photoperiods.
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Putative melatonin receptors in a human biological clock.
S. Reppert, D. Weaver, S. Rivkees, and E. Stopa (1988)
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Axon-Sparing Lesions of the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Abolish Gonadal Responses to Photoperiod in Male Syrian Hamsters.
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Phototherapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder.
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Neuroendocrine Response to 5-Hydroxytryptophan in Seasonal Affective Disorder.
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Genetic control of melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland of the mouse.
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