Chronomics: circadian lead of extrapineal vs. pineal melatonin rhythms with an infradian hypothalamic exploration.

A circadian rhythm is documented for plasma, pineal, and hypothalamic melatonin of male and female rats kept on staggered lighting regimens. Log[_10]-transformation of the data usually normalizes, when need be, the distribution of residuals from the 24-hour cosine curve fits. A tentative circadian acrophase chart is presented that shows a lead in circadian acrophase of duodenal over pineal melatonin. The use of antiphasic lighting regimens facilitates circadian studies that can be carried out for several days, thereby allowing the assessment of infradian components such as a circasemiseptan variation in hypothalamic melatonin documented herein. The results are qualified by the presence of a second extremum of a double magnetic storm at the start of mapping.