Diurnal rhythm of core body temperature is phase advanced in a rodent model of depression

We examined the diurnal rhythm of core body temperature in a strain of rats with an upregulated central muscarinic receptor system. The Flinders-Sensitive Line (FSL) was derived by selectively breeding rats for sensitivity to cholinergic agonists. When compared to control rats, the FSL rats showed a remarkably strong phase advance of the acrophase in body temperature during a standard light-dark schedule. Some patients with some types of depression also show phase advances in a number of circadian rhythms, including temperature. Our finding of a phase advance in a rodent model with a known upregulated muscarinic receptor system is compatible with both the phase advance and the muscarinic overdrive theories of depression. These findings also further validate the usefulness of the FSL rats in the study of depression.