The visual basis of the biological clock "sees" the light:intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells
10.3760/cma.j.issn.2095-0160.2018.11.013
- VernacularTitle:生物钟"看到"光的视觉基础——内在光感受性视网膜神经节细胞
- Author:
Jingxue ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. 首都医科大学附属北京同仁医院 北京同仁眼科中心 北京市眼科研究所 眼科学与视觉科学北京市重点实验室
- Keywords:
Circadian clock;
Non-image-forming;
Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell;
Melanopsin
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology
2018;36(11):879-882
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Mammalian eyes mediate both image-forming and non-image-forming visual functions. Non-image-forming vision provides a measure of the ambient light for the purposes of synchronization of circadian clocks to light/dark cycles and regulation of pupil size,pineal melatonin production and other functions. Traditionally,people used to believe that the classical photoreceptors (rods and cones) regulate both image-forming and non-image-forming visual pathways. However,a small subset of retinal ganglion cells called intrinsically photosensitive RGCs ( ipRGCs) has been identified to be a third type of mammalian photoreceptor and determined to be photosensitive, recently. The discovery of ipRGCs has allowed for rapid progress in the past decade toward understanding the non-image-forming visual system,especially about how the circadian clock complete the synchronization with the light/dark cycle. The anatomical and developmental characteristics of ipRGCs, as well as its biological functions and regulation were reviewed in this paper.
