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Genetic Advances in Ophthalmology: The Role of Melanopsin-Expressing, Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells in the Circadian Organization of the Visual System
Genetic progress in eye research: how light-sensitive retinal cells help regulate daily body rhythms
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Abstract
Melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are integral to synchronizing human biology with the 24-hour day-night cycle.
- Light-dark cycles are the main environmental cues that help organisms align their internal biological processes with the 24-hour cycle.
- ipRGCs transmit signals to the body's master biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), through the retinohypothalamic tract.
- The retina exhibits its own circadian rhythms, which include daily changes in visual sensitivity and neurotransmitter levels.
- Both central and peripheral biological clocks operate on a similar molecular mechanism that follows a circadian rhythm of about 24 hours.
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