Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Manipulation of Rhythmic Food Intake in Mice Using a Custom-Made Feeding System
Published on: December 16, 2022
Circadian effects of timed meals (and other rewards)
Alec J Davidson1, Ozgur Tataroglu, Michael Menaker
1Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA.
Abstract:
Mammals organize many of their activities around rhythmic events in their environments. Primary among these events is the daily light-dark cycle. However, for many animals, food availability is rhythmic or quasi-rhythmic and is therefore a potential synchronizing cue. While circadian rhythms in both behavior and physiological activity can be entrained in animals via meal-feeding schedules, the mechanism by which this occurs remains poorly understood. Similarities between the circadian effects of restricted feeding and the effects of chronic methamphetamine treatment may be indicative of a common mechanism. This article argues that reward (or the arousal that accompanies it) may be the final common pathway for such nonphotic circadian inputs.
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