Ocular Regulation of the Human Pineal Gland: the Significance of Total Retinal Exposure for Melatonin Suppression
Published 1 January 1999
Jenny Wang, John P. Hanifin, Mark D. Rollag, George C. Brainard
Citations9
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
Signals from the retina and associated circadian neuroantomy are responsible for the photic regulation of melatonin biosynthesis and secretion in the pineal gland.
Abstract
It is known that two systems exist for processing light detected by the retina. The visual system serves to process images, while nonvisual photic information is used primarily for regulating circadian rhythms. Both anatomical and physiological studies suggest that these systems use separate neural pathways with a small degree of overlap. While the visual neuroanatomy and neurophysiology has been fairly well established, the circadian pathways and physiology are less understood. It is known that the circadian pathway involves the relay of information from the retina directly through the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and indirectly by way of a projection to the thalamic intergeniculate leaflets which then project back to the SCN. [1, 2, 3] Ultimately, information about light is relayed from the SCN to the pineal gland by way of a multisynaptic pathway. Signals from the retina and associated circadian neuroantomy are responsible for the photic regulation of melatonin biosynthesis and secretion in the pineal gland. [2]
Keywords
MedicineNeuroscience
The Journal of Comparative NeurologyA retinohypothalamic projection in the rat
1,281 Citations1972Robert Y. Moore, Nicholas J. Lenn
The retinohypothalamic tract in the rat appears to arise from the ganglion cells of the retina and to terminate on the smaller dendritic branches of the neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
New England Journal of MedicineSuppression of Melatonin Secretion in Some Blind Patients by Exposure to Bright Light
659 Citations1995Charles A. Czeisler, Theresa L. Shanahan +6 more
The visual subsystem that mediates light-induced suppression of melatonin secretion remains functionally intact in some sightless patients, and constitutes a distinct form of blindness, associated with periodic insomnia, that afflicts most but not all patients with no conscious perception of light.
EndocrinologyRadioimmunoassay of Serum Concentrations of Melatonin in Sheep Exposed to Different Lighting Regimens
641 Citations1976Mark D. Rollag, G. D. Niswender
A precipitous drop in serum concentrations of melatonin resulted when ewes experiencing peak melatonin concentrations were exposed to light and returned to peak levels when the lights were turned off 3.5 h later.
Journal of Comparative Physiology ACircadian photoreception in the retinally degenerate mouse (rd/rd)
498 Citations1991F. Foster, Ignacio Provencio +4 more
No photoreceptor outersegments were identified in the retina of rd/rd animals (80–100 days of age), but a small number of perikarya that were immunoreactive for cone opsins, and even fewer cells that contained rod opsin were identified.
Journal of Pineal ResearchHuman Melatonin Suppression by Light is Intensity Dependent
389 Citations1989Iain M. Mclntyre, Trevor R. Norman +2 more
It is suggested that when examining the melatonin sensitivity of patient groups to artificial light, an appropriate light intensity should be established in each laboratory, and light of less intensity may be more suitable to dichotomize patient groups from control subjects.
The Journal of Comparative NeurologyThe retinohypothalamic tract originates from a distinct subset of retinal ganglion cells
350 Citations1995Robert Y. Moore, Joan C. Speh +1 more
The retinal ganglion cells giving rise to retinohypothalamic projections in the rat were identified using retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase or Fluoro Gold injected into the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and using transneuronal transport of the Bartha strain of the swine herpesvirus.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismRelationship between Melatonin Rhythms and Visual Loss in the Blind<sup>1</sup>
269 Citations1997Steven W. Lockley, Debra J. Skene +4 more
Results indicate that a higher proportion of NPL subjects have abnormal melatonin rhythms compared to those with LP, and that the incidence of which was greater in uni- and bilaterally enucleated subjects.
Brain ResearchDose-response relationship between light irradiance and the suppression of plasma melatonin in human volunteers
235 Citations1988George C. Brainard, Alfred J. Lewy +6 more
Journal of Biological RhythmsPhotic Regulation of Melatonin in Humans: Ocular and Neural Signal Transduction
217 Citations1997George C. Brainard, Mark D. Rollag +1 more
Acute, light-induced suppression of melatonin is proving to be a powerful tool for clarifying how elements of ocular and neural physiology influence the interaction between light and the secretion ofmelatonin from the human pineal gland.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismRelationship between Melatonin Rhythms and Visual Loss in the Blind
202 Citations1997Steven W. Lockley
Brain ResearchCircadian rhythms in mice can be regulated by photoreceptors with cone-like characteristics
179 Citations1995Ignacio Provencio, F. Foster
The data suggest that both cone classes of the mouse may mediate the photic regulation of circadian rhythms, and if this is the case, circadian sensitivity can be maintained by very few degenerate cones.
Elsevier eBooksLight and Biological Rhythms in Man
155 Citations1993
The influence of ace, sex, height, weight, urine volume and latitude on melatonin concentrations in urine from normal subjects: a multinational study is studied.
EndocrinologyThe Suppression of Pineal Melatonin Content and<i>N</i>-AcetyItransferase Activity by Different Light Irradiances in the Syrian Hamster: A Dose-Response Relationship<sup>*</sup>
140 Citations1983George C. Brainard, Bruce A. Richardson +3 more
Both pineal NAT and melatonin were similarly depressed by the light irradiances in a dose-related manner, and may be relevant to the physiological control of the pineal by natural illumination.
NatureNovel retinal photoreceptors
138 Citations1998Bobby G. Soni, Alisdair R. Philp +2 more
It is shown that salmon vertebrate ancient opsin forms a functional photopigment in vitro, and is expressed in a subset of retinal horizontal and amacrine cells in vivo, indicating that retinal photoreception is not restricted to just rod and cone cells.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismPupil size regulation of threshold of light-induced melatonin suppression.
85 Citations1993James R. Gaddy, Mark D. Rollag +1 more
Pupil dilation significantly enhanced low level white light-induced melatonin suppression over that elicited with freely constricting pupils, suggesting that pupil diameter may be a factor in the effectiveness of light stimuli used to shift circadian rhythms or to treat seasonal depression or sleep disorders.
Life SciencesRelationship between environmental light intensity and retina-mediated suppression of rat pineal serotonin-n-acetyl-transferase
73 Citations1974Kenneth P. Minneman, Harry J. Lynch +1 more
The dose-response relationship between intensity of ambient lighting and pineal biosynthetic activity was characterized by measuring serotonin-N-acetyl-transferase activity in pineals from rats exposed to strong light for two days, and then to darkness or to various light intensities for three hours.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & MetabolismMelatonin regulation in humans with color vision deficiencies.
68 Citations1996Frederick L. Ruberg, Debra J. Skene +5 more
It is suggested that a normal trichromatic visual system is not necessary for light-mediated neuroendocrine regulation in subjects with normal color vision.
Journal of Biological RhythmsMelatonin Suppression by Light in Humans Is Maximal When the Nasal Part of the Retina Is Illuminated
59 Citations1999Edith Visser, Domien G. M. Beersma +1 more
The results imply that artificial manipulation of the circadian pacemaker to alleviate jet lag, to improve alertness in shift workers, and possibly to treat patients suffering from seasonal affective disorder should encompass light exposure of the nasal retina.
Journal of Biological RhythmsMelatonin Suppression by Illumination of Upper and Lower Visual Fields
53 Citations1999Thomas A. Lasko, Daniel F. Kripke +1 more
The results suggest that bright light treatment of depression or circadian phase disorders might be most effective when applied in the upper visual field.
NeuroendocrinologyPhotoreceptor Damage and Eye Pigmentation: Influence on the Sensitivity of Rat Pineal N-Acetyltransferase Activity and Melatonin Levels to Light at Night
53 Citations2008Susan M. Webb, Thomas H. Champney +2 more
The threshold of light irradiance capable of inhibiting nighttime pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and melatonin content, and the importance of intact photoreceptors and eye pigmentation on these changes, were investigated in the rat.
Journal of Pineal ResearchPeripheral vision suppression of melatonin
25 Citations1992Joshua Adler, Daniel F. Kripke +2 more
In animals, SCN cells have broad visual receptive fields, suggesting that peripheral bright light could be effective for melatonin suppression, and phototherapy using bright light in the visual periphery may be effective.