TY - JOUR
T1 - Luxotonic signals in human prefrontal cortex as a possible substrate for effects of light on mood and cognition
AU - Sabbah, Shai
AU - Worden, Michael S.
AU - Laniado, Dimitrios D.
AU - Berson, David M.
AU - Sanes, Jerome N.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 the Author(s).
PY - 2022/7/12
Y1 - 2022/7/12
N2 - Studies with experimental animals have revealed a mood-regulating neural pathway linking intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Since humans also have light-intensity-encoding ipRGCs, we asked whether a similar pathway exists in humans. Here, functional MRI was used to identify PFC regions and other areas exhibiting light-intensity-dependent signals. We report 26 human brain regions having activation that either monotonically decreases or monotonically increases with light intensity. Luxotonic-related activation occurred across the cerebral cortex, in diverse subcortical structures, and in the cerebellum, encompassing regions with functions related to visual image formation, motor control, cognition, and emotion. Light suppressed PFC activation, which monotonically decreased with increasing light intensity. The sustained time course of light-evoked PFC responses and their susceptibility to prior light exposure resembled those of ipRGCs. These findings offer a functional link between light exposure and PFC-mediated cognitive and affective phenomena.
AB - Studies with experimental animals have revealed a mood-regulating neural pathway linking intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Since humans also have light-intensity-encoding ipRGCs, we asked whether a similar pathway exists in humans. Here, functional MRI was used to identify PFC regions and other areas exhibiting light-intensity-dependent signals. We report 26 human brain regions having activation that either monotonically decreases or monotonically increases with light intensity. Luxotonic-related activation occurred across the cerebral cortex, in diverse subcortical structures, and in the cerebellum, encompassing regions with functions related to visual image formation, motor control, cognition, and emotion. Light suppressed PFC activation, which monotonically decreased with increasing light intensity. The sustained time course of light-evoked PFC responses and their susceptibility to prior light exposure resembled those of ipRGCs. These findings offer a functional link between light exposure and PFC-mediated cognitive and affective phenomena.
KW - fMRI
KW - frontal lobe
KW - humans
KW - light-sensitive brain regions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133824710&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2118192119
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2118192119
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C2 - 35867740
AN - SCOPUS:85133824710
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 119
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 28
M1 - e2118192119
ER -