Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Sensitivity Of The Human Circadian System To Short Wavelength (420 Nm) Light, George C. Brainard, David Silney, John P. Hanifin, Gena Glickman, Brenda Byrne, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Samar Jasser, Edward Gerner, Mark D. Rollag
Sensitivity Of The Human Circadian System To Short Wavelength (420 Nm) Light, George C. Brainard, David Silney, John P. Hanifin, Gena Glickman, Brenda Byrne, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Samar Jasser, Edward Gerner, Mark D. Rollag
Jeffrey Greeson
The circadian and neurobehavioral effects of light are primarily mediated by a retinal ganglion cell photoreceptor in the mammalian eye containing the photopigment, melanopsin. Nine action spectrum studies using rodents, monkeys, and human for these responses indicate peak sensitivities in the blue region of the visible spectrum ranging from 459 nm to 484 nm, with some disagreement in short wavelength sensitivity of the spectrum. The aim of this work was to quantify the sensitivity of human volunteers to monochromatic 420 nm light for plasma melatonin suppression. Adult female (N=14) and male (N=12) subjects participated in two studies, each employing a …