Summary
This thesis reveals that sleep and circadian disruption in diabetes stems from dysfunctional rod inputs to melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells, while in Parkinson's disease the dysfunction occurs at the melanopsin ganglion cell level itself with additional reductions in retinal contrast gain. These findings suggest that lighting interventions for diabetic or Parkinsonian patients may need to account for compromised photoreceptor pathways, potentially requiring higher light intensities or adjusted spectral content to achieve adequate circadian entrainment.
Key Findings
- In diabetes, dysfunctional outer retinal rod inputs to melanopsin ganglion cells are identified as a key contributor to sleep disruption.
- In Parkinson's disease, melanopsin ganglion cell dysfunction is the primary locus of circadian disruption, accompanied by non-selective reductions in retinal contrast gain.
- Two distinct retinal pathways are implicated in disease-related circadian disruption: rod-to-melanopsin cell signaling (diabetes) versus intrinsic melanopsin cell dysfunction (Parkinson's disease).
Categories
Sleep & Circadian Health: Investigates retinal photoreceptor pathways underlying circadian disruption and sleep problems in systemic disease.
The Science of Light: Identifies specific retinal cell types (rods, melanopsin ganglion cells) and their roles in photoentrainment and sleep regulation.
Dementia & Elder Care: Examines Parkinson's disease-related circadian disruption linked to melanopsin ganglion cell dysfunction.
Author(s)
S Dumpala
Publication Year
2020
Related Publications
Sleep & Circadian Health
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- The twoāprocess model of sleep regulation: a reappraisal
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice
- Strange vision: ganglion cells as circadian photoreceptors
The Science of Light
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- Color appearance models
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice
Dementia & Elder Care
- Light therapy and Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: past, present, and future
- New strategies for neuroprotection in glaucoma, a disease that affects the central nervous system
- Sleep and circadian rhythms in Parkinson's disease and preclinical models
- Chronobioengineering indoor lighting to enhance facilities for ageing and Alzheimer's disorder
- The clock is ticking. Ageing of the circadian system: from physiology to cell cycle