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Duration of the melatonin pulse in the hypothalamus controls testicular function in pinealectomized mice (Peromyscus leucopus).

Forty-four pinealectomized white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were stereotaxically implanted with a guide tube-cannula assembly in the area of the preoptic/anterior hypothalamus. Easy insertion and removal of the melatonin-loaded cannula in the basal medial hypothalamus made it possible to examine whether duration of the melatonin pulse at the putative target site controls reproduction in mice. Mice receiving melatonin every day for 10 h during either the day or night underwent gonadal regression within 7 wk, as indexed by substantial decreases in combined testicular weight and seminal vesicle weight. Sperm production in these mice was also reduced or absent. Melatonin pulses given for 5 h, or as two 5-h pulses (separated by 3 h) did not alter reproduction in that these mice resembled sham-implanted controls. These results indicate that duration of the melatonin pulse, acting in the hypothalamus, may regulate seasonal reproduction in P. leucopus.