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Melatonin infusions restore sleep suppressed by continuous bright light in pigeons
1Department of Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz 95064.
Neuroscience Letters
|October 12, 1992
Abstract:
Constant bright light (LL) suppresses 24-h melatonin and many other behavioral and physiological rhythms in pigeons. LL also strongly suppresses sleep. Daily melatonin infusions in LL restore sleep to normal nocturnal levels of a light-dark cycle and continuous infusions sustain it for at least 10 days. Restoration of sleep in LL by melatonin indicates its key role in avian sleep mechanisms.
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