Analysis of the Special Structure of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

摘要

In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is considered as the master circadian pacemaker. In this paper, we analyze the special structure of SCN from mathematical viewpoint in an analytical way. We show how the special structure of the SCN is exploited in synchronization in an analytical way, i.e., why the ventrolateral (VL) part has fewer but compactly connected neurons, while dorsomedial (DM) part has more but sparsely connected neurons.