Phototransduction by Retinal Ganglion Cells That Set the Circadian Clock

Feb 9, 2002Science (New York, N.Y.)

How light-sensing eye cells control the body’s internal clock

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Abstract

Retinal ganglion cells that connect to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) are intrinsically photosensitive.

  • These ganglion cells depolarized in response to light even when all input from rods and cones was blocked.
  • The light response characteristics, including sensitivity and spectral tuning, align with the mechanism for photic entrainment of circadian rhythms.
  • This suggests that these ganglion cells could serve as primary photoreceptors for synchronizing mammalian circadian rhythms with environmental light.

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