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Cited by 52Visual perception and processing mechanismsMultisensory perception and integrationRetinal Development and Disorders

Conserved visual capacity of rats under red light

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Nikbakht, Nader, Diamond, Mathew E·2021·eLife
DOI 10.7554/elife.66429PMC PMC8360654

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Abstract

Recent studies examine the behavioral capacities of rats and mice with and without visual input, and the neuronal mechanisms underlying such capacities. These animals are assumed to be functionally blind under red light, an assumption that might originate in the fact that they are dichromats who possess ultraviolet and green cones, but not red cones. But the inability to see red as a color does not necessarily rule out form vision based on red light absorption. We measured Long-Evans rats’ capacity for visual form discrimination under red light of various wavelength bands. Upon viewing a black and white grating, they had to distinguish between two categories of orientation: horizontal and vertical. Psychometric curves plotting judged orientation versus angle demonstrate the conserved visual capacity of rats under red light. Investigations aiming to explore rodent physiological and behavioral functions in the absence of visual input should not assume red-light blindness.

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  • The ability of red light to induce dopamine release at intensities as low as 0.1 μW/cm2 is consistent with research that rodents are better at perceiving red wavelengths than is commonly acknowledged.

    “The ability of red light to induce dopamine release at intensities as low as 0.1 μW/cm2 is consistent with research that rodents are better at perceiving red wavelengths than is commonly acknowledged (Danskin et al., 2015; Nikbakht and Diamond, 2021; Vinberg et al., 2019).”

    From Ventral striatum dopamine release encodes unique properties of visual stimuli in mice (2023) · cites this paper as Nikbakht and Diamond, 2021

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Cited by

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Authors
Nikbakht, N., & Diamond, M. E.
Affiliations
Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (IT)
Corresponding author
  • Nikbakht, Nader
  • Diamond, Mathew E
ORCID
Venue
eLife
Publisher
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Published
2021-07-20
Volume
10
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.7554/elife.66429
PMC
PMC8360654
OpenAlex
W3184238410
Cited by
52
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2012: 1
FWCI
3.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • SDL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • European Research Council (294498)
  • Human Frontier Science Program (RGP0015/2013)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinal Development and Disorders
Keywords
red light, visual form discrimination, dichromacy, rodent vision, Long-Evans rats, color vision, orientation discrimination, psychometric curves, functional blindness
MeSH terms
Animals, Blindness, Color Perception, Discrimination, Psychological, Light, Vision, Ocular, Visual Perception, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats

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