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This regulatory role, which is independent of circadian and mood alterations, is mediated by an ipRGC-thalamic-corticolimbic pathway. Lack of ipRGC signaling in mice causes dendritic degeneration, dysregulation of genes involved in synaptic plasticity, and depressed neuronal activity in the vmPFC. These alterations primarily undermine the ability of the vmPFC to regulate emotions. Our discovery provides a potential light-dependent mechanism for certain PFC-centric disorders in humans.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.adh9251","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,29]],"date-time":"2024-03-29T17:59:13Z","timestamp":1711735153000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":35,"title":["Light affects the prefrontal cortex via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Lazzerini Ospri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5187-7791","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jesse J.","family":"Zhan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA."},{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael B.","family":"Thomsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA."},{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruchi","family":"Komal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5958-4616","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Qijun","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8416-4579","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fany","family":"Messanvi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2496-064X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Johann","family":"du Hoffmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1450-2738","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kevin","family":"Cravedi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3349-8477","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yogita","family":"Chudasama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3124-9525","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Samer","family":"Hattar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4275-9843","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Haiqing","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","first-page":"43","article-title":"The role of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in nonimage-forming responses to light","volume":"4","author":"Warthen D. 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