Mammalian circadian rhythms are driven by the
transcriptional-translational feedback loop of clock genes in the
hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. However, chronic methamphetamine
treatment induces circadian activity rhythms in arrhythmic animals with
suprachiasmatic nucleus lesions or clock gene deletions. Activation of
dopaminergic neurotransmission by methamphetamine is considered to
induce activity rhythms. Adenosine antagonizes the actions of dopamine
at heteromers of dopamine and adenosine receptors (dopamine D1 and
adenosine A1 receptors, dopamine D2 and adenosine A2A receptors). In
this study, we considered that adenosine inhibition acts similarly to
methamphetamine, and administered an antagonist of adenosine A1 and A2A
receptors, caffeine, in drinking water. Chronic caffeine treatment
extended the circadian activity period of wild-type mice under constant
darkness. The circadian period extension continued for three weeks after
the replacement of caffeine with water. Chronic caffeine treatment
induced circasemidian (~12 h), circadian, and
longer-period activity rhythms in clock gene deficient, cryptochrome
(Cry) 1 and Cry 2 double knockout mice under constant darkness. These
activity rhythms changed periods spontaneously over time and became
arrhythmic upon caffeine withdrawal. In humans, rhythms with shorter or
longer than 24 h periods are hypothesized to cause internal
desynchronization of the sleep-wake rhythm from the ~ 24
h body temperature rhythm under temporal isolation. Circasemidian
rhythms are hypothesized to cause afternoon sleepiness and nap.
Caffeine-induced rhythms may help in understanding rhythms with not
around 24 h periods in humans.
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