Acute effects of unilateral or bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy on rat pineal N-acetyltransferase activity and melatonin content

Abstract
Acute bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGX) completely prevents the nocturnal rises in pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and melatonin content in male rats kept in light-dark cycles of 14∶10. Unilateral SCGX causes the NAT and melatonin levels to be intermediate between those in sham-operated control rats and those in rats from which both ganglia had been removed.