Abstract
Blood samples were taken every 15 min (for 4·75 h) from six castrated quail on three separate occasions. The birds were first bled while under short days (comprising 8 h light:16 h darkness per 24 h; 8L:16D) and, subsequently, after 1 and 20 days under long days of 16L:8D. The photoperiodic alteration produced a marked increase in the mean plasma LH concentration of each bird and in four instances the rise was evident after only 1 long day. Pulsatile release patterns were not detected in the plasma LH profiles obtained during exposure to short days or after 1 long day but were pronounced in all of the birds after 20 long days. The peaks (n = 19) occurred on average every 83 ±14 (s.e.m.) min and had an amplitude of 12·3±1·2 μg/l. After 35 days under 16L: 8D three of the quail were bled more frequently (every 8 min for 2·5 h), allowing the LH pulses to be measured more precisely. Each pulse was composed of a sudden increase in secretion followed by a slower decrease which lasted for approximately 30 min. The development and functional significance of episodic LH release in the quail is discussed. J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 209–212

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