Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lujing Chen, Guang Li, Zheng Jiang, King-Wai Yau
Summary: Nonimage-forming vision in mammals is mediated primarily by melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs. The study reveals that in M1-ipRGCs, melanopsin activates phospholipase C-β4 to open TRPC6 and TRPC7 channels, while in M2 and M4-ipRGCs, cyclic nucleotide-mediated phototransduction activates hyperpolarization and cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. Additionally, it is found that the upstream G protein is Gq, which directly activates adenylyl cyclase (AC) for signaling.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kathryn A. Roecklein, Peter L. Franzen, Delainey L. Wescott, Brant P. Hasler, Megan A. Miller, Shannon D. Donofry, Caitlin M. DuPont, Sarah M. Gratzmiller, Scott P. Drexler, W. Michael Wood-Vasey, Paul D. Gamlin
Summary: A retinal subsensitivity to environmental light may trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) under low wintertime light conditions. The study found that SAD patients had significantly decreased responses to light in winter compared to controls, highlighting the seasonal variation in melanopsin driven non-visual responses to light as a potential risk factor for SAD.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gabrielle J. Gutierrez, Fred Rieke, Eric T. Shea-Brown
Summary: By comparing model circuits with different combinations of convergence, divergence, and nonlinear neurons, we can discover how interactions between these components affect coding efficiency. Our findings suggest that a convergent circuit with divergent parallel pathways can encode more information with nonlinear subunits than with linear subunits.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Christopher. A. A. Procyk, Jessica Rodgers, Egor Zindy, Robert. J. J. Lucas, Nina Milosavljevic
Summary: Light has a profound impact on mammalian physiology and behavior, and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) play a significant role in this process. Using the computational platform BRIAN to analyze Brainbow labeled tissues, researchers found that ipRGCs maintain their normal morphology even in the degenerate retina. Additionally, they identified a cell type in the degenerate retina that has not been previously discovered in rodents.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chi-Chan Lee, Feng Liang, I-Chi Lee, Tsung-Hao Lu, Yu-Yau Shan, Chih-Fan Jeng, Yan-Fang Zou, Hon-Tsen Yu, Shih-Kuo Chen (Alen)
Summary: Gut microbiota can be modulated by external light-dark cycle information from the brain to the gut, affecting the composition and relative abundance of gut microbiota's daily oscillations.
Article
Ophthalmology
Krystal R. Harrison, Andrew P. Chervenak, Sarah M. Resnick, Aaron N. Reifler, Kwoon Y. Wong
Summary: Our study revealed that different types of ipRGCs are coupled with amacrine cells, potentially exerting diverse modulatory effects on retinal physiology through various neuromodulators. Gap junctional ipRGC-to-amacrine signaling is mediated partly by Cx36.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Joseph Pottackal, Hannah L. Walsh, Pouyan Rahmani, Kathy Zhang, Nicholas J. Justice, Jonathan B. Demb
Summary: In this study, a circuitry was identified in mice that allows M5 ipRGCs to locally inhibit retinal neurons by forming electrical synapses with nonspiking GABAergic amacrine cells. The results demonstrate a functional role for electrical synapses in translating ipRGC activity into feedforward and feedback inhibition of local retinal circuits.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Juan M. Angueyra, Jacob Baudin, Gregory W. Schwartz, Fred Rieke
Summary: This study explores how macaque cone photoreceptors maintain sensitivity under fast saccadic eye movements. The research shows that adaptation causes nonlinearity in cone responses to naturalistic stimuli, depending on stimulus history. A biophysical model can accurately predict cone responses to various stimuli.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Zhou Yu, Maxwell H. Turner, Jacob Baudin, Fred Rieke
Summary: Neural circuits can exhibit both linear and nonlinear behavior depending on stimulus conditions. We investigated the response of macaque On and Off parasol retinal ganglion cells to spatial structure stimuli and found that cells respond nonlinearly to some stimuli but near linearly to others. The differences in linearity can be explained by shifts in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs, influenced by adaptation in the cone photoreceptors.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Bastien Leclercq, David Hicks, Virginie Laurent
Summary: The study revealed that ipRGCs in rd1 mice can still measure photoperiod and play a key role in photoperiod integration and seasonal physiology regulation, potentially accompanied by seasonal-dependent changes in the retina.
JOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kwoon Y. Wong, Fabian-Xose Fernandez
Summary: An increasing number of studies are exploring circadian phase-shifting after exposure to millisecond light flashes, which, when combined with periods of darkness, can produce responses that rival or exceed those induced by steady luminance. A conceptual model is proposed in the study to connect the effects of flashes on the circadian system to the way the pacemaker intermittently samples photic information at dawn and dusk. This study also discusses the role of cones in predicting twilight for the pacemaker, suggesting that classical photoreceptors play a crucial role in the flash responses of ipRGCs.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Kyle Reing, Greg Ver Steeg, Aram Galstyan
Summary: This paper introduces a new approach to information decomposition called Neural Information Decomposition (NID), which shows promising results in distinguishing higher-order functions from noise on synthetic data. NID proves to be more effective compared to other unsupervised probability models.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aaron N. Reifler, Kwoon Y. Wong
Summary: Researchers have developed a recombinant virus called rAAV2-Opn4-Cre, which carries the improved Cre recombinase gene (iCre) and can transduce inner retinal neurons while sparing the outer retina. Their experiments showed that 84% of the Cre-expressing cells were ipRGCs, while 16% were conventional RGCs.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Na Young Jun, Greg D. Field, John Pearson
Summary: Optimal arrangement of ON and OFF receptive fields exhibits a transition between aligned and antialigned grids. The preferred phase depends on detector noise and the statistical structure of the natural stimuli. These results reveal that noise and stimulus statistics produce qualitative shifts in neural coding strategies.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Allison M. Cleymaet, Casey-Tyler Berezin, Jozsef Vigh
Summary: Opioids, both endogenous and exogenous, have been shown to modulate the pupillary light reflex (PLR) through mu-opioid receptors (MORs) expressed by melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). This study suggests that endogenous opioid signaling in the retina contributes to the regulation of PLR, with DAMGO slowing down bright light-evoked PLR.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Nina Milosavljevic, Timothy M. Brown, Robert J. Lucas
Summary: In this issue of Neuron, Huang et al. (2021) demonstrate a new influence of light on memory, showing that prolonged exposure to bright light can enhance spatial memory in mice. They attribute this effect to a neural circuit involving the retina, ventral lateral geniculate, and reuniens nuclei.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Rodgers, Beatriz Bano-Otalora, Mino D. C. Belle, Sarika Paul, Rebecca Hughes, Phillip Wright, Richard McDowell, Nina Milosavljevic, Patrycja Orlowska-Feuer, Franck P. Martial, Jonathan Wynne, Edward R. Ballister, Riccardo Storchi, Annette E. Allen, Timothy Brown, Robert J. Lucas
Summary: There is no consensus on the best inhibitory optogenetic tool. Gi/o signalling is a native mechanism of neuronal inhibition, and Lamprey Parapinopsin (Lamplight) can be used for optogenetic silencing by switching between stable signalling active and inactive states with different wavelengths. The properties of Lamplight can be applied to achieve switchable neuronal hyperpolarisation and suppression of spontaneous spike firing in specific brain regions. Expressing Lamplight in ON bipolar cells can photosensitise retinas following advanced photoreceptor degeneration, showing potential for scalable, sustained, and reversible optogenetic inhibition.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Gorana Mijatovic, Tatjana Loncar-Turukalo, Nebojsa Bozanic, Nina Milosavljevic, Riccardo Storchi, Luca Faes
Summary: This work proposes a novel approach to estimate the degree of concomitant firing between two neural units using a modified form of mutual information, providing insights into neural synchrony over time and detecting correlated and anti-correlated firing patterns. The resulting measure, denoted as CFIMI, is independent on firing rate and recording duration, sensitive to different firing patterns, and offers a new perspective on the estimation of neural synchrony.
Article
Cell Biology
Richard J. McDowell, Jessica Rodgers, Nina Milosavljevic, Robert J. Lucas
Summary: Melanopsin in mammals can signal through multiple pathways, with variations in signaling selectivity observed between species.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Timothy M. Brown, George C. Brainard, Christian Cajochen, Charles A. Czeisler, John P. Hanifin, Steven W. Lockley, Robert J. Lucas, Mirjam Muench, John B. O'Hagan, Stuart N. Peirson, Luke L. A. Price, Till Roenneberg, Luc J. M. Schlangen, Debra J. Skene, Manuel Spitschan, Celine Vetter, Phyllis C. Zee, Kenneth P. Wright
Summary: Ocular light exposure has significant effects on human health and well-being, affecting circadian rhythms, sleep, neuroendocrine and cognitive functions. Advances in understanding the mechanisms and emerging lighting technologies allow for the adjustment of lighting to promote optimal physical and mental health and performance. A new international standard provides a way to quantify the influence of light on retinal neurons, and this report provides lighting recommendations based on scientific consensus, with a focus on easily measured quantities.
Article
Neurosciences
Christopher. A. A. Procyk, Jessica Rodgers, Egor Zindy, Robert. J. J. Lucas, Nina Milosavljevic
Summary: Light has a profound impact on mammalian physiology and behavior, and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) play a significant role in this process. Using the computational platform BRIAN to analyze Brainbow labeled tissues, researchers found that ipRGCs maintain their normal morphology even in the degenerate retina. Additionally, they identified a cell type in the degenerate retina that has not been previously discovered in rodents.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Rodgers, Steven Hughes, Moritz Lindner, Annette E. Allen, Aghileh S. Ebrahimi, Riccardo Storchi, Stuart N. Peirson, Robert J. Lucas, Mark W. Hankins
Summary: Photoreceptor degeneration can lead to severe visual loss but often spares the inner retina, providing hope for vision restoration treatments using optogenetics or electrical stimulation. In a mouse model, the optogenetic actuator ReaChR was found to generate a visual code similar to the wild-type, indicating the impressive ability of surviving circuitry to recreate a rich visual code following retinal degeneration. These findings have important implications for regenerative medicine in the central nervous system.
Review
Neurosciences
Sushmitha Raja, Nina Milosavljevic, Annette E. Allen, Morven A. Cameron
Summary: Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are photoreceptors located in the ganglion cell layer. They possess intrinsic photosensitivity through melanopsin and receive inputs from rods and cones. They regulate inner and outer retinal circuitry through chemical and electrical synapses, influence ganglion cell outputs, and play a vital role in the processing of image-forming vision. This research has important implications for lighting design and ocular dysfunctions.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Patrycja Orlowska-Feuer, Beatriz Bano-Otalora, Jessica Rodgers, Franck P. Martial, Riccardo Storchi, Robert James Lucas
Summary: This study investigates how neurons in the main circadian oscillator of the brain respond to changes in light irradiance. The researchers found that the response of individual neurons to irradiance is monotonic but varies in terms of the range of irradiance and the direction of the response.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marina Gardesevic, Altug Didikoglu, Samuel J. D. Lawrence, Celine Vetter, Timothy M. Brown, Annette E. Allen, Robert J. Lucas
Summary: Light is a crucial regulator of behavioral and physiological state in mammals, and it can affect cognitive performance such as memory, vigilance, and alertness. However, the role of light as a regulator of performance in everyday life remains unclear. In this study, researchers developed an app called Brighter Time to measure cognitive performance and light exposure in everyday life. The app was able to reveal associations between task performance and sleepiness, time of day, and current illuminance. This study suggests that light plays an important role in regulating cognitive performance in everyday life.