Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2003 Jan 10;299(5604):245-7.

doi: 10.1126/science.1077293.

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Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice

R J Lucas et al. Science. 2003.

Abstract

In the mammalian retina, a small subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are intrinsically photosensitive, express the opsin-like protein melanopsin, and project to brain nuclei involved in non-image-forming visual functions such as pupillary light reflex and circadian photoentrainment. We report that in mice with the melanopsin gene ablated, RGCs retrograde-labeled from the suprachiasmatic nuclei were no longer intrinsically photosensitive, although their number, morphology, and projections were unchanged. These animals showed a pupillary light reflex indistinguishable from that of the wild type at low irradiances, but at high irradiances the reflex was incomplete, a pattern that suggests that the melanopsin-associated system and the classical rod/cone system are complementary in function.

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