Estradiol exerts activational and organizational control over the expression of daily and circadian activity rhythms in mice
type: CreativeWork
description: Robust sex differences in daily and circadian activity rhythms, as well as the manifestation of circadian disruption-associated pathologies, have been reported in numerous species, including humans and laboratory models. These differences are mediated, at least in part, by sexually dichotomous estrogenic signaling throughout life. However, the mechanism(s) underlying the impact of estrogens on the formation and expression of circadian activity outputs remains poorly characterized. A more comprehensive understanding of both the full effect(s) of estrogenic signaling on circadian rhythms throughout life and the precise method by which these effects are exacted will expand our understanding of the intersection of endocrinology and chronobiology, provide greater insight regarding disease pathogenesis, and provide novel targets for the development of efficacious therapies aimed at circadian disruption prevention and alleviation. Accordingly, I have three primary goals for this thesis. First, I will fully characterize the effects of acutely circulating estradiol on the expression of daily and circadian wheel running rhythms in female mice. Simultaneously, I will further elucidate the estrogen receptor-dependent mechanism(s) underlying these functional effects (Chapter 2). Second, I will examine the impact of developmental estradiol on adult daily and circadian activity rhythms during a neonatal critical period associated with maturation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a hypothalamic structure regarded as the ‘master oscillator’ (Chapter 3). Finally, because the adult timekeeping system is dependent upon transcriptional regulation in the SCN, I will determine the impact of estradiol on gene expression within the SCN (Chapter 4). In the work presented here, I show that acutely circulating estradiol increases total wheel activity, consolidates this activity to the dark phase, and enhances wheel running amplitude through mechanism(s) dependent upon estrogen receptor sub…
abstract: Robust sex differences in daily and circadian activity rhythms, as well as the manifestation of circadian disruption-associated pathologies, have been reported in numerous species, including humans and laboratory models. These differences are mediated, at least in part, by sexually dichotomous estrogenic signaling throughout life. However, the mechanism(s) underlying the impact of estrogens on the formation and expression of circadian activity outputs remains poorly characterized. A more comprehensive understanding of both the full effect(s) of estrogenic signaling on circadian rhythms throughout life and the precise method by which these effects are exacted will expand our understanding of the intersection of endocrinology and chronobiology, provide greater insight regarding disease pathogenesis, and provide novel targets for the development of efficacious therapies aimed at circadian disruption prevention and alleviation. Accordingly, I have three primary goals for this thesis. First, I will fully characterize the effects of acutely circulating estradiol on the expression of daily and circadian wheel running rhythms in female mice. Simultaneously, I will further elucidate the estrogen receptor-dependent mechanism(s) underlying these functional effects (Chapter 2). Second, I will examine the impact of developmental estradiol on adult daily and circadian activity rhythms during a neonatal critical period associated with maturation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a hypothalamic structure regarded as the ‘master oscillator’ (Chapter 3). Finally, because the adult timekeeping system is dependent upon transcriptional regulation in the SCN, I will determine the impact of estradiol on gene expression within the SCN (Chapter 4). In the work presented here, I show that acutely circulating estradiol increases total wheel activity, consolidates this activity to the dark phase, and enhances wheel running amplitude through mechanism(s) dependent upon estrogen receptor sub…
author: Royston, Sara
language: en
keywords: Circadian, Estrogen, Activational, Organizational
date published: 2014-09-16T17:17:30Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:40Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50442