UC Irvine

Research shows that brain circuits controlling vital physiological processes are closely linked with endogenous time-keeping systems. In this study, we aimed to examine oscillatory gene expression patterns of well-characterized neuronal circuits by reanalyzing publicly available transcriptomic data from a spatiotemporal gene expression atlas of a non-human primate. Unexpectedly, brain structures known for regulating circadian processes (e.g., hypothalamic nuclei) did not exhibit robust cycling expression. In contrast, basal ganglia nuclei, not typically associated with circadian physiology, displayed the most dynamic cycling behavior of its genes marked by sharp temporally defined expression peaks. Intriguingly, the mammillary bodies, considered hypothalamic nuclei, exhibited gene expression patterns resembling the basal ganglia, prompting reevaluation of their classification. Our results emphasize the potential for high throughput circadian gene expression analysis to deepen our understanding of the functional synchronization across brain structures that influence physiological processes and resulting complex behaviors.