ArticlePLoS biology2016
Melanopsin Regulates Both Sleep-Promoting and Arousal-Promoting Responses to Light.
Article in PLoS biology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 97 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
97 citing papers in PubMed, 169 citations in OpenAlex.
- A day sleep promoting role of phototransduction inNeurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms · 2026Article
- Simulated natural daylight and twilight modulate activity and light sampling behaviour in mice.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Retinal light perception and biological rhythms: The role of light in sleep and mood from an ophthalmic perspective (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Interference of phototherapy with blue LED light on the behaviour of mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii.PloS one · 2026Article
- A lateral hypothalamic region supporting diverse visual processing and modulation of visually-guided behaviour.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Light incubation affects embryo development and post-hatch performance in poultry.Poultry science · 2025Review
- Acute effects of blue and red light exposure on cognitive performance, exercise capacity, perceived effort, and dynamic balance: A randomized crossover study.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2025Article
- Differential Effects of Light Spectra on Sleep Architecture and Melatonin in Rats.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Association Between Internet Use and Sleep Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Individuals: Nationwide Longitudinal Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Yellow light improves milk quality, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and reproductive ability in dairy cows by elevating endogenous melatonin.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
- Melatonin effects on animal behavior: circadian rhythm, stress response, and modulation of behavioral patterns.Journal of animal science and technology · 2025Review
- Specific retinal neurons regulate context-dependent defensive responses to visual threat.PNAS nexus · 2024Article
- Bioactive Peptides in Dairy Milk: Highlighting the Role of Melatonin.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- The Future Is Not Bright: Evaluation of Rat Preferences for Color and Intensity of Light.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Normal-Tension Glaucoma and Potential Clinical Links to Alzheimer's Disease.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Circadian Influences on Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Heart Failure.Circulation research · 2024Review
- The cognitive impact of light: illuminating ipRGC circuit mechanisms.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2024Review
- Effects of chronic light cycle disruption during adolescence on circadian clock, neuronal activity rhythms, and behavior in mice.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Article
- Effects of home-cage elevation on behavioral tests in mice.Brain and behavior · 2023Article
- Nesfatin-1 protects the reproductive health of male Sprague Dawley rats exposed to blue and white LED lights.Scientific reports · 2023Article
37 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Light plays a critical role in the regulation of numerous aspects of physiology and behaviour, including the entrainment of circadian rhythms and the regulation of sleep. These responses involve melanopsin (OPN4)-expressing photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs) in addition to rods and cones. Nocturnal light exposure in rodents has been shown to result in rapid sleep induction, in which melanopsin plays a key role. However, studies have also shown that light exposure can result in elevated corticosterone, a response that is not compatible with sleep. To investigate these contradictory findings and to dissect the relative contribution of pRGCs and rods/cones, we assessed the effects of light of different wavelengths on behaviourally defined sleep. Here, we show that blue light (470 nm) causes behavioural arousal, elevating corticosterone and delaying sleep onset. By contrast, green light (530 nm) produces rapid sleep induction. Compared to wildtype mice, these responses are altered in melanopsin-deficient mice (Opn4-/-), resulting in enhanced sleep in response to blue light but delayed sleep induction in response to green or white light. We go on to show that blue light evokes higher Fos induction in the SCN compared to the sleep-promoting ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), whereas green light produced greater responses in the VLPO. Collectively, our data demonstrates that nocturnal light exposure can have either an arousal- or sleep-promoting effect, and that these responses are melanopsin-mediated via different neural pathways with different spectral sensitivities. These findings raise important questions relating to how artificial light may alter behaviour in both the work and domestic setting.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.