Abstract
Continuous artificial illumination for 4 weeks in comparison with 14 hr of light per day leads to significant reductions in lipid content and lesser reductions in wet and dry weights of pineals in subadult and adult rats ( Rattus norvegicus) and in adult hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus). This pineal response is not affected by increased consumption of NaCl or KCl, nor by adrenalectomy, but is blocked by bilateral intraorbital transection of the optic tracts. It is suggested that continuous light in these experiments may be a type of chronic stress and may affect the pineal by way of a neural route including the lateral eyes, brain stem and nervi conarii.
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