Lengthening of circadian period in hamsters by novelty-induced wheel running

Phase shifts resulting from nonphotic events can be accompanied by sizable changes in the free-running period. This study examined the relationship between tau changes and phase shifts produced by confining Syrian hamsters to a novel running wheel in the mid-subjective day. Both phase shifting and tau lengthening were higher in animals that made a high number of wheel turns in the 3 h in the novel wheel. Hamsters that ran little during the activity pulse, and did not subsequently exhibit either phase shifts or tau lengthening, had low baseline activity and long taus before the pulse. However, long taus did not preclude hamsters from running in a novel wheel and subsequently phase shifting. This was demonstrated by finding the phase shifts after activity pulses in animals whose tau had already been lengthened by previous activity pulses in novel wheels. The possibility is discussed that feedback from locomotor activity influences the period of the clock in hamsters, but it is concluded that, in addition, there must be other mechanisms accounting for the relationships between activity and tau.