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Science 18 November 1966:
Vol. 154. no. 3751, pp. 898 - 899
DOI: 10.1126/science.154.3751.898
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Articles

Light-Induced Changes in Pineal Hydroxyindole-O-Metthyltransferase: Abolition by Lateral Hypothalamic Lesions

Julius Axelrod 1, Solomon H. Snyder 1, Alfred Heller 2, and Robert Y. Moore 3

1 National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014
2 Department of Pharmacology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
3 Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Anatomy, University of Chicago

The activity of hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase, the melatoninforming enzyme in the pineal gland, is several times greater in rats kept in continuous darkness than in those kept in continuous light. Lesions transecting the medial forebrain bundle in the lateral hypothalamus suppress these differences in enzyme activity and abolish light-induced changes in pineal weight. These findings indicate that the medial forebrain bundle may participate in the control of this enzymatic response to environmental lighting.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: A 25-Year Retrospective.
D. R. Weaver (1998)
J Biol Rhythms 13, 100-112
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The Pineal Gland: A Neurochemical Transducer.
J. Axelrod (1974)
Science 184, 1341-1348
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Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate in Rat Pineal Gland: Increase Induced by Light.
M. S. Ebadi, B. Weiss, and E. Costa (1970)
Science 170, 188-190
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Hydroxyindole-O-Methyl-Transferase Activity: Effect of Sympathetic Nerve Stimulation.
M. J. Brownstein and A. Heller (1968)
Science 162, 367-368
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Central Control of the Pineal Gland: Visual Pathways.
R. Y. Moore, A. Heller, R. K. Bhatnager, R. J. Wurtman, and J. Axelrod (1968)
Arch Neurol 18, 208-218
   Abstract »    PDF »
Visual Pathway Mediating Pineal Response to Environmental Light.
R. Y. Moore, A. Heller, R. J. Wurtman, and J. Axelrod (1967)
Science 155, 220-223
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