Why some animals are nocturnal

Why some animals are nocturnal

New York, Aug 23 (IANS) Researchers have discovered how differences in sleep and wakefulness mechanisms make many animals sleep at night and be active during the day, while others do the reverse.

Examining the day/night patterns of monkeys (diurnal) and mice (nocturnal), the researchers found that although both process light through the eyes in a similar way, the signals that determine sleep/awake modes are sent to the brain via different routes and produce completely opposite sleep/awake patterns.

“Since humans are diurnal, this has clear implications for potential novel treatment of certain sleep or mood disorders,” said the study’s lead author Qun-Yong Zhou from the University of California, Irvine.




In nocturnal mice, ipRGC and SCN appear to function similarly, and either could serve as the timekeeper. But in the diurnal monkeys, the eyes’ ipRGC seems to be dominant, said the study published online in the journal Molecular Brain.



Leave a Reply

Please enter your comment!




Please enter your name here