Beyond the suprachiasmatic nucleus: Other circadian clocks in the brain

Abstract

While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is considered the “master pacemaker” governing mammalian circadian rhythms, there is substantial evidence for a methamphetamine-sensitive circadian oscillator (MASCO) capable of driving rhythms even in the absence of the SCN. We have recently demonstrated that MASCO does not require the canonical circadian molecular feedback loop to drive circadian rhythms of locomotor behavior. Here we argue that MASCO is an independent circadian pacemaker and remark upon its similarity to another extra-SCN oscillator—the food entrainable oscillator (FEO).

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