ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2018
External light activates hair follicle stem cells through eyes via an ipRGC-SCN-sympathetic neural pathway.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 54 papers.
What it found
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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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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
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- A two-hit mechanism triggers autoimmune hair loss.Nature · 2026Article
- Reversible, Sexually Dimorphic Sympathetic Aging: Distal Axon Withdrawal Shaped by Prepubertal Gonadal Influences.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
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- A confound-free method to manipulate pupil size in psychological experiments.Psychonomic bulletin & review · 2026Article
- [Research progress on the role of peripheral nerves in wound healing].Zhejiang da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences · 2025Review
- Ischemic stroke and intervention strategies based on the timeline of stroke progression: Review and prospects.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2025Review
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- Therapeutic potential of isoproterenol in androgenetic alopecia: activation of hair follicle stem cells via the PI3K/AKT/β-Catenin signaling pathway.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Article
- Impact of domestic white LED light on cognitive functions and amelioration of blue light blocking lens (BBL) on healthy adults.Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms · 2025Article
- Cholesterol promotes hair growth through activating sympathetic nerves and enhancing the proliferation of hair follicle stem cells.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Interplay of Light, Melatonin, and Circadian Genes in Skin Pigmentation Regulation.Pigment cell & melanoma research · 2025Article
- Biological characterization and antibacterial effects of a novel virulentFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- ipRGCs Sensitive Blue Light Exposure Promotes the Robustness of Circadian and Neural Stem Cells in Sleep Deprived Conditions.Stem cells international · 2025Article
- Light-eye-body axis: exploring the network from retinal illumination to systemic regulation.Theranostics · 2025Review
- THSD4 promotes hair growth by facilitating dermal papilla and hair matrix interactions.Theranostics · 2025Article
- Light modulates glucose and lipid homeostasis via the sympathetic nervous system.Science advances · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Changes in external light patterns can alter cell activities in peripheral tissues through slow entrainment of the central clock in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). It remains unclear whether cells in otherwise photo-insensitive tissues can achieve rapid responses to changes in external light. Here we show that light stimulation of animals' eyes results in rapid activation of hair follicle stem cells with prominent hair regeneration. Mechanistically, light signals are interpreted by M1-type intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which signal to the SCN via melanopsin. Subsequently, efferent sympathetic nerves are immediately activated. Increased norepinephrine release in skin promotes hedgehog signaling to activate hair follicle stem cells. Thus, external light can directly regulate tissue stem cells via an ipRGC-SCN autonomic nervous system circuit. Since activation of sympathetic nerves is not limited to skin, this circuit can also facilitate rapid adaptive responses to external light in other homeostatic tissues.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.