Cerebral neural correlates of differential melanopic photic stimulation in humans.
Photic stimulation of rods, cones and intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) mediates non-visual light responses, including entrainment of circadian rhythms and pupillary light reflex. Unlike visual responses to photic stimulation, the cerebral correlates of non-visual light responses in humans remains elusive. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 14 healthy young participants, to localize cerebral regions which are differentially activated by metameric light that gave rise to different levels of melanopic excitation. Mean blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses disclosed bilateral activation of the frontal eye fields during exposure to light geared towards melanopsin. Furthermore, multivariate pattern analyses showed distinct bilateral pattern activity in the inferior temporal gyri and the caudate nuclei. Taken together, our findings suggest that melanopsin-based photoreception activates a cerebral network including frontal regions, classically involved in attention and ocular motor responses.
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. Electronic address: shaomin.hung@u.duke.nus.edu.
Shao-Min
SM
Hung
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore.
Dan
D
Milea
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Annadata Venkata
AV
Rukmini
Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore.
Raymond P
RP
Najjar
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Joo Huang
JH
Tan
Centre de recherche sur la conservation (CRC, USR 3224), Sorbonne Universités, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, CNRS, France.
Françoise
F
Viénot
Centre de recherche sur la conservation (CRC, USR 3224), Sorbonne Universités, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, CNRS, France.
Marie
M
Dubail
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Sharon Lee Choon
SLC
Tow
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore.
Tin
T
Aung
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Joshua J
JJ
Gooley
Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. Electronic address: pojang.hsieh@duke-nus.edu.sg.
Po-Jang
PJ
Hsieh
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult; D000099210:Melanopsin
D017299:Rod Opsins; D000099210:Melanopsin
Blue light; Frontal eye field; Intrinsically photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells; Magnetic resonance imaging; Melanopsin; Metamers