Coupling effect of locomotor activity on the rat's circadian system

Exercise is recognized to affect circadian rhythmicity in a variety of ways. It masks the expression of other behavioral and physiological rhythms, entrains the master pacemaker, and influences the free-running period of other rhythms. In this paper we study the influence of exercise on the organization of the timing system by analyzing the effect of voluntary locomotor activity on the circadian feeding behavior of rats subjected to different lighting conditions. The availability of wheel running prevented loss of feeding circadian rhythmicity under constant bright light (LL) but did not elicit any circadian pattern in rats showing a previous arrhythmic pattern. Under dim red light (DR), the rhythm was more pronounced in exercising than in sedentary rats, while wheel-running availability accelerated the emergence of circadian rhythmicity in arrhythmic animals that were moved from LL to DR. These results can be explained by the existence of a positive feedback loop between physical exercise and its pacemaker and also suggest that exercise changes the functioning of the circadian system to facilitate the emergence of circadian rhythms in previously arrhythmic animals.