The after-hours circadian mutant has reduced phenotypic plasticity in behaviors at multiple timescales and in sleep homeostasis

Maggi, Silvia; Balzani, Edoardo; Lassi, Glenda; Garcia-Garcia, Celina; Plano, Andrea; Espinoza, Stefano; Mus, Liudmila; Tinarelli, Federico; Nolan, Patrick M.; Gainetdinov, Raul R.; Balci, Fuat; Nieus, Thierry; Tucci, Valter

Abstract

Circadian clock is known to adapt to environmental changes and can significantly influence cognitive and physiological functions. In this work, we report specific behavioral, cognitive, and sleep homeostatic defects in the after hours (Afh) circadian mouse mutant, which is characterized by lengthened circadian period. We found that the circadian timing irregularities in Afh mice resulted in higher interval timing uncertainty and suboptimal decisions due to incapability of processing probabilities. Our phenotypic observations further suggested that Afh mutants failed to exhibit the necessary phenotypic plasticity for adapting to temporal changes at multiple time scales (seconds-to-minutes to circadian). These behavioral effects of Afh mutation were complemented by the specific disruption of the Per/Cry circadian regulatory complex in brain regions that govern food anticipatory behaviors, sleep, and timing. We derive statistical predictions, which indicate that circadian clock and sleep are complementary processes in controlling behavioral/cognitive performance during 24 hrs. The results of this study have pivotal implications for understanding how the circadian clock modulates sleep and behavior.

Citation

Maggi, S., Balzani, E., Lassi, G., Garcia-Garcia, C., Plano, A., Espinoza, S., …Tucci, V. (2017). The after-hours circadian mutant has reduced phenotypic plasticity in behaviors at multiple timescales and in sleep homeostasis. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18130-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 6, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Dec 19, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 5, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 5, 2019
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 17765
• Pages: 1-18
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18130-2
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3058202
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-18130-2
• Contract Date: Nov 5, 2019