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Chronobiology International
The Journal of Biological and Medical Rhythm Research
Volume 20, 2003 - Issue 4
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Original

The Circadian System and Melatonin: Lessons from Rats and Mice

, &
Pages 697-710 | Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

The circadian system (CS) comprises three key components: (1) endogenous oscillators (clocks) generating a circadian rhythm; (2) input pathways entraining the circadian rhythm to the astrophysical day; and (3) output pathways distributing signals from the oscillator to the periphery. This contribution briefly reviews some general aspects of the organization of the rodent CS and pays particular attention to recent results obtained with various mouse strains, related to molecular mechanisms involved in entraining the endogenous clock and the role of the pineal hormone melatonin as a hand of the endogenous clock.

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