Potent circadian effects of dim illumination at night in hamsters

Conventional wisdom holds that the circadian pacemaker of rodents and humans is minimally responsive to light of the intensity provided by dim moonlight and starlight. However, dim illumination (<0.005 lux) provided during the daily dark periods markedly alters entrainment in hamsters. Under dimly lit scotophases, compared to completely dark ones phases, the upper range of entrainment is increased by approximately 4 h, and re-entrainment is accelerated following transfer from long to short day lengths. Moreover, the incidence of bimodal entrainment to 24 h light:dark:light:dark cycles is increased fourfold. Notably, the nocturnal illumination inducing these pronounced effects is equivalent in photic energy to that of a 2 sec, 100 lux light pulse. These effects may be parsimoniously interpreted as an action of dim light on the phase relations between multiple oscillators comprising the circadian pacemaker. An action of dim light distinct from that underlying bright-light phase-resetting may promote more effective entrainment. Together, the present results refute the view that scotopic illumination is environmental "noise" and indicate that clock function is conspicuously altered by nighttime illumination like that experienced under dim moonlight and starlight. We interpret our results as evidence for a novel action of dim light on the coupling of multiple circadian oscillators.