Abstract
By means of photocells, it has been shown that the general activity of groups of piglets follows a nyctohemeral rhythm with 2 diurnal peaks, a morning peak and a larger afternoon peak. After moving the animals to a new environment, a systematic study of the changes in the features of this rhythm was done using the following parameters: rhythm period computed by an autocorrelation function, amount of diurnal activity compared to the total daily activity, statistical indices of the distribution of activity based upon the 25 and 75 percentiles and the median of the hourly activity percentage cumulative curve. The period of adjustment to the new environment was characterized by a progressive decrease in the diurnal activity and an increase in its dispersion during the first 3 days. The most sensitive measure seemed to be the ratio of morning activity distribution to afternoon activity distribution, and this index took 8 days to stabilize. There was no modification in the rhythm period itself. These results seem to give a good estimation of the period of adjustment to new experimental conditions in longitudinal physiologic or pharmacologic studies.
| Translated title of the contribution | Locomotor activity adjustments of piglets introduced into a new environment |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 495-503 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal de Physiologie |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - 1973 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology