Feeding schedule controls circadian timing of daily torpor in SCN-ablated Siberian hamsters

Timing of daily torpor was assessed in suprachiasmatic nucleus-ablated (SCNx) and sham-ablated Siberian hamsters fed restricted amounts of food each day either in the light or dark phase of a 14:10 light-dark cycle. Eighty-five percent of sham-ablated and 45% of SCNx hamsters displayed a preferred hour for torpor onset. In each group, time of torpor onset was not random but occurred at a mean hour that differed significantly from chance. Time of food presentation almost completely accounted for the timing of torpor onset in SCNx animals and significantly affected timing of this behavior in intact hamsters. These results suggest that the circadian pacemaker in the SCN controls the time of torpor onset indirectly by affecting timing of food intake, rather than by, or in addition to, direct neural and humoral outputs to relevant target tissues.