F. Gauer et al., THE NMDA ANTAGONIST MK-801 BLOCKS LIGHT EFFECT ON MELATONIN RECEPTOR DENSITY IN RAT SUPRACHIASMATIC NUCLEI, Neuroscience letters, 171(1-2), 1994, pp. 24-26
In pinealectomized rats, melatonin receptor density in the suprachiasm
atic nuclei was recently shown to be strongly decreased during the dar
k period. Furthermore, a one-hour long light pulse is able to reverse
this dark-induced decrease. We demonstrate here that this effect of a
light-pulse during night time is blocked by prior application of the N
MDA receptor antagonist MK-801. These results show that the light effe
ct on melatonin receptor density in the SCN is mediated by activation
of NMDA-type receptors.