Abstract
CIRCADIAN and seasonal variations in reproductive functions of mammals have been investigated extensively1. Serum testosterone exhibits a nychthemeral variation in man2–6 and the rhesus monkey7,8. Exposure of laboratory rodents which are nocturnal in habit to continuous illumination causes precocious puberty in immature rats and hamsters9, and constant oestrus in cycling rats due to elevated gonadotropins10. Conversely, prolonged exposure to darkness causes atrophy of testes in the hamster due to suppression of circulating FSH and LH11,12. Relatively less information is available on the effects of light on reproduction in the human and non-human primates. From a study of the effects of constant light on serum testosterone in the male bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata), we have found that M. radiata shows a nychthemeral variation in serum testosterone.
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