Light aversion in mice depends on nonimage-forming irradiance detection
Open accessAbstract
Detection of light in the eye underlies image-forming vision, but also regulates adaptive responses in physiology and behavior. Typically these adaptive responses do not involve image-forming vision, but depend on a relatively absolute measure of brightness (nonimage-forming irradiance detection). The goal of this study was to further understand how image-forming vision and nonimage-forming irradiance detection contribute to the effects of light on behavior. Three light dependent behaviors were assessed in wild-type, Rpe65-/- and rd1 mice. In Rpe65-/- mice, nonimage-forming irradiance detection is severely attenuated, but rod based visual acuity is relatively preserved. In rd1 mice visual acuity is nonrecordable, but nonimage-forming responses are less severely attenuated than Rpe65-/-. Positive masking, an image-forming vision dependent increase in wheel running, was absent in rd1 and restricted to higher irradiances in Rpe65-/-. Negative masking, a suppression of wheel running sensitivity with nonimage-forming irradiance detection input, was increased in rd1, but reduced in Rpe65-/- mice. By contrast, light aversion, an avoidance of brightly lit areas, was abolished in both Rpe65-/- and rd1. This shows that image-forming vision is not sufficient for light aversion, suggesting nonimage-forming irradiance detection motivates this behavior. Further, the differing effects of disease suggest that negative masking and light aversion are distinct responses with specialized nonimage-forming irradiance detection pathways.
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Sudden dark-to-light transitions are highly salient to nocturnal rodents that must avoid detection by visual predators.
“Sudden dark-to-light transitions are highly salient to nocturnal rodents that must avoid detection by visual predators (Thompson et al., 2010)”
From Ventral striatum dopamine release encodes unique properties of visual stimuli in mice (2023) · cites this paper as Thompson et al., 2010
The Abstract (page not provided) says nocturnal activity in mice minimizes visual predation and describes acute light-driven behaviors that may reduce a predator’s chance of detecting them. The Discussion, under “Sum of effects on behavior” (page not provided), links bright light to predation-avoidance behaviors. The paper does not establish that sudden dark-to-light transitions are especially salient, or extend that finding beyond mice to nocturnal rodents generally. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Thompson, S., Recober, A., Vogel, T. W., Kuburas, A., Owens, J. A., Sheffield, V. C., Russo, A. F., & Stone, E. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Iowa (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 124
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 821-827
- ISSN
- 0735-7044 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-0084
- PMC
- PMC3313681
- OpenAlex
- W2014031097
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Behavioral Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Foundation Fighting Blindness
- National Institutes of Health (R01 DE016511)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinal Development and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- light aversion, rd1 mouse, brightness perception
- MeSH terms
- Retinoid Isomerohydrolase, Animals, Avoidance Learning, Behavior, Animal, Carrier Proteins, Eye Proteins, Female, Male, Photic Stimulation, Vision, Ocular, Visual Acuity, Mice, Knockout, cis-trans-Isomerases, Mice
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