ReviewMolecular medicine reports2026
Retinal light perception and biological rhythms: The role of light in sleep and mood from an ophthalmic perspective (Review).
Review in Molecular medicine reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Light therapy in medicine: where do we stand?Annals of translational medicine · 2026Review
- The Circadian-Light-Hygiene Hypothesis: A Potential Modulator of Fertility and Birthrate Trends.Biology · 2026Review
- Review
- Circadian regulation of osteoclast lysosomal-resorption machinery: implications for osteoporosis therapy.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Light is the paramount environmental signal for the entrainment of endogenous circadian rhythms. Its non‑visual effects, mediated by the retina, exert a profound control over human sleep, mood and systemic physiological homeostasis. Beyond its canonical function in image formation, the retina operates as a primary irradiance detector through a specialized class of neurons, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which utilize the photopigment melanopsin. These cells convey environmental light information directly to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the brain's master circadian pacemaker, thereby synchronizing the body's internal timekeeping with the external solar cycle. Compelling evidence demonstrates that the spectral quality of light, particularly within the short‑wavelength blue range, potently modulates neuroendocrine and neural systems via the ipRGC pathway, governing melatonin synthesis, the architecture of the sleep‑wake cycle and affective regulation. The modern light environment, characterized by ubiquitous artificial light at night and pathological states of light perception resulting from ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma and retinal degenerations, can severely disrupt this synchronization. The consequent circadian misalignment is a significant etiological factor in sleep disorders, depressive symptoms and other systemic morbidities. The retina's integral position within the light‑rhythm‑behavior axis is thus a critical nexus between the visual system and systemic physiology. In addition, the present study outlined the nitric oxide‑cyclic GMP signaling axis in SCN as a critical mediator of photic entrainment. This review provided an in‑depth analysis from an ophthalmic perspective, synthesizing evidence from animal models and human studies to dissect the complex molecular, cellular and network‑level mechanisms of retinal circadian regulation, explore how aberrant photic signaling impacts sleep and mood and critically evaluate the potential of targeted interventions such as light therapy and spectral management in the context of rhythm‑related disorders.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.