Melanopsin: an exciting photopigment

Mark W Hankins1, Stuart N Peirson, Russell G Foster

  • 1Circadian and Visual Neuroscience Group, Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK. mark.hankins@eye.ox.ac.uk

Trends in Neurosciences
|December 7, 2007
PubMed
Summary

A novel photoreceptor system in the mammalian eye, utilizing melanopsin, regulates circadian rhythms and other light responses. This system, distinct from rods and cones, is crucial for physiological adaptations to light.

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