How the Retina Marches to the Beat of Its Own Drum

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One of many light-sensitive pigments was found to set the retina’s own biological tempo while others set the body’s master clock.

September 29, 2015

Genetics Neuroscience Retina

Basic Research

Grantee

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Washington report new research that sheds light on how the retina sets its own biological rhythm using a novel light-sensitive pigment, called neuropsin, found in nerve cells at the back of the eye. The new study, described in a September 21 online report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ushers in a more complex view of the retina.