Cited by 44Circadian rhythm and melatoninVisual perception and processing mechanismsRetinal Development and Disorders

Encoding of environmental illumination by primate melanopsin neurons

Open access
Liu, Andreas, Milner, Elliott S., Peng, Yi-Rong, Blume, Hannah A., Brown, Michael C., Bryman, Gregory S., Emanuel, Alan J., Morquette, Philippe +4 more·2023·Science

Abstract

Light regulates physiology, mood, and behavior through signals sent to the brain by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). How primate ipRGCs sense light is unclear, as they are rare and challenging to target for electrophysiological recording. We developed a method of acute identification within the live, ex vivo retina. Using it, we found that ipRGCs of the macaque monkey are highly specialized to encode irradiance (the overall intensity of illumination) by blurring spatial, temporal, and chromatic features of the visual scene. We describe mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, and population scales that support irradiance encoding across orders-of-magnitude changes in light intensity. These mechanisms are conserved quantitatively across the ~70 million years of evolution that separate macaques from mice.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.ade2024

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Phototherapy plays a significant role in regulating emotional behavior and can have strong and rapid effects on mood and alertness.

    “Phototherapy plays a significant role in regulating emotional behavior 399 and can have strong and rapid effects on mood and alertness. 400 – 402”

    From Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment (2024) · cites this paper as [401]

    The Abstract says light regulates mood and behavior, and the Discussion notes that artificial lighting is used for therapy in mood disorders. The paper studies light responses in retinal neurons; it does not establish that phototherapy has strong, rapid effects on mood or alertness. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [10]Yarbus AL (Plenum Press, New York, N.Y., 1967).
  2. [24]Sterling P, Laughlin S (MIT Press, United States of America, 2015).
  3. [26]Milner ESM, Do MTH, Cell 171, 11 (2017).
  4. [35]Peng YR, Cell 176, 15 (2019).

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Authors
Liu, A., Milner, E. S., Peng, Y.-R., Blume, H. A., Brown, M. C., Bryman, G. S., Emanuel, A. J., Morquette, P., Viet, N.-M., Sanes, J. R., Gamlin, P. D., & Do, M. T. H.
Affiliations
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Boston, MA 02115, USA.
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham (US)
Corresponding author
  • Liu, Andreas
  • Milner, Elliott S.
  • Emanuel, Alan J.
  • Do, Michael Tri H.
Venue
Science
Published
2023-01-27
Volume
379
Issue
6630
Pages
376-381
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W4318141653
Cited by
44
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 5
FWCI
6.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • BrightFocus Foundation (R01EY034089, R01EY023648, M2014055)
  • Harvard University
  • Broad Institute
  • National Institutes of Health (1s10od026752-01)
  • Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (P30EY012196)
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY030628, F31EY025466, R21EY032731, R21EY028633, R21EY025840, R01EY023648, P30EY003039, R01EY034089, P30EY012196, R01EY025555)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50HD105351)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinal Development and Disorders
Keywords
intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, melanopsin, ambient light, macaque retina, light intensity, chromatic adaptation, evolutionary conservation, non-image-forming vision
MeSH terms
Melanopsin, Animals, Biological Evolution, Light, Lighting, Macaca, Retinal Ganglion Cells, Mice

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