Generation and Disruption of Circadian Rhythms in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: A Core-Shell Model

We focus our research on how the core-shell organization controls behavior of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), how the core and shell are synchronized to the environment, what impact they have on the behavior of the SCN under different lighting conditions, and what mechanisms disrupt synchronization. To this end, we use a reduced Kuramoto model, with parameters inferred from experimental observations and calibrated for mice, and perform a detailed comparison between the model and experimental data under light-dark (LD), dark-dark (DD), and light-light (LL) conditions. The operating limits of free-running and entrained SCN activity under symmetric LD cycles are analyzed, with particular focus on the phenomena of anticipation and dissociation. Results reveal that the core-shell organization of the SCN enables anticipation of future events over circadian cycles. The model predicts the emergence of a second (dissociated) rhythm for large and small LD periods. Our results are in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experimental observations of circadian dissociation. We further describe SCN activity under LL conditions and show that our model satisfies Aschoff’s first rule, according to which the endogenous free-running circadian period observed under complete darkness will shorten in diurnal animals and lengthen in nocturnal animals under constant light. Our results strongly suggest that the Kuramoto model captures essential features of synchronization and entrainment in the SCN. Moreover, our approach is easily extendible to an arbitrary number of groups, with dynamics described by explicit equations for the group phase and synchronization index. Viewed together, the reduced Kuramoto model presents itself as a useful tool for exploring open problems in the study of circadian rhythms, one that can account for evolving views of the circadian system’s organization, including peripheral clocks and inter-hemispheric interaction, and can be translated to other nocturnal and diurnal animals, including humans.