NIH R01 · 2025
Neurophysiology of Melanopsin Photoreceptors
PROJECT SUMMARY Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are neurons of the mammalian eye that capture light with a molecule called melanopsin, triggering a phototransduction cascade to generate an electrical response. This response influences dozens of brain regions and is essential for light’s normal regulation of processes that include the circadian clock, sleep, mood, and pupil constriction. Our preliminary experiments reveal ipRGC response features that are suited to these processes and qualitatively distinct from those of the classic rod and cone photoreceptors. We propose to characterize these response features, learn how they arise from molecular mechanisms…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.