Author(s)

Toshiaki Haga^1,2, Junichi Toei¹, Kenichi Mitsui¹, Mareki Ohtsuji¹, Yo Kodera¹, Kenichi Osada², Hiroyuki Nishimura¹

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Toin University of Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan.
²Department of Neuropsychiatry, St. Marianna University School of Medicin, Kawasaki, Japan.

Mice subjected to an irregular light-dark cycle are known to lose their capacity to synchronize their behavioral rhythm to environmental light, and to show endophenotypes related to depressive disorders. Here we observed that a susceptible strain of mice (C3H/HeJ) subjected to an irregular 3.5 hr:3.5 hr light-dark cycle showed an enhanced acoustic startle reflex and deficits in prepulse inhibition. As impaired sensorimotor gating is associated with the onset of a variety of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, irregular environmental light without circadian photo-entrainment may cause stress that has the potential to be involved in humans’ susceptibility to neuropsychiatric abnormalities.

Depression, Sensorimotor Gating, C3H/HeJ, Prepulse Inhibition, Circadian Rhythm

Haga, T. , Toei, J. , Mitsui, K. , Ohtsuji, M. , Kodera, Y. , Osada, K. and Nishimura, H. (2018) Aberrant Light-Induced Depression is Associated with Impaired Sensorimotor Gating in Mice. World Journal of Neuroscience, 8, 1-9. doi: 10.4236/wjns.2018.81001.