Timing of light pulses and photoperiod on the diurnal rhythm of hippocampal neuronal morphology of Siberian hamsters

• Light and dark pulses altered dendritic patterning of hippocampal neurons.
• Light and dark pulses also affected dendritic spine density.
• Hippocampal expression of fetal liver kinase 1 was decreased by a light pulse.

Rapid remodeling of neurons provides the brain with flexibility to adjust to environmental fluctuations. In Siberian hamsters, hippocampal dendritic morphology fluctuates across the day. To reveal the regulatory mechanism of diurnal remodeling of hippocampal neurons, we investigated the effects of light signals applied under different photoperiodic conditions on dendritic morphology. A 4-h dark pulse during the morning of long days (LD) increased basilar dendritic length, as well as complexity of basilar dendrites of neurons in the CA1. A light pulse during the late night in short days (SD) reduced basilar dendrite branching and increased primary apical dendrites of CA1 neurons. Spine density of dentate gyrus (DG) dendrites was increased by a dark pulse in LD and spine density of CA1 basilar dendrites was decreased by a light pulse in SD. These results indicate that light signals induce rapid remodeling of dendritic morphology in a hippocampal subregion-specific manner. A light pulse in SD decreased hippocampal expression of fetal liver kinase 1 (Flk1), a receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), raising the possibility that VEGF–FLK1 signaling might be involved in the rapid decrease of branching or spine density of CA1 basilar dendrites by light.