Penetration of Light Into the Brain of Mammals *

Brunt, E. E. Van; Shepherd, M. D.; Wall, J. R.; Ganong, William F.; Clegg, M. T.

doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1964.tb48177.x

Cited by 42 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In humans, the temporal bone of the skull and the scalp attenuate only 50% of light at a wavelength of ,670 nm (Eichler et al, 1977;Wan et al, 1981). In small animals, light can readily reach the entire brain under normal illumination (Berry and Harman, 1956;Massopust and Daigle, 1961;Menaker et al, 1970;Vanbrunt et al, 1964). Sun or room light over the range of 600-700 nm can penetrate an approximately 4-cm-thick abdominal wall with only three-to-five orders of magnitude attenuation (Bearden et al, 2001;Wan et al, 1981).…”

Section: The Effect Of Light In Vivomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given estimated concentrations of chlorophyll derivatives in the body (Egner et al, 2000;Fernandes et al, 2007;Scheie and Flaoyen, 2003) and the photon flux at 670 nm (Bachem and Reed, 1931;Barun et al, 2007;Bearden et al, 2001;Benaron et al, 1997;Chance et al, 1988;Eichler et al, 1977;Menaker et al, 1970;Vanbrunt et al, 1964;Wan et al, 1981;Zourabian et al, 2000), each chlorophyll metabolite would be expected to absorb only a few photons per second. As such, one might anticipate negligible amounts of additional energy.…”

Section: Atp Stores and Life Spanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP

Zhang

Mihai

et al. 2013

Journal of Cell Science

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Sunlight is the most abundant energy source on this planet. However, the ability to convert sunlight into biological energy in the form of adenosine-59-triphosphate (ATP) is thought to be limited to chlorophyll-containing chloroplasts in photosynthetic organisms. Here we show that mammalian mitochondria can also capture light and synthesize ATP when mixed with a light-capturing metabolite of chlorophyll. The same metabolite fed to the worm Caenorhabditis elegans leads to increase in ATP synthesis upon light exposure, along with an increase in life span. We further demonstrate the same potential to convert light into energy exists in mammals, as chlorophyll metabolites accumulate in mice, rats and swine when fed a chlorophyll-rich diet. Results suggest chlorophyll type molecules modulate mitochondrial ATP by catalyzing the reduction of coenzyme Q, a slow step in mitochondrial ATP synthesis. We propose that through consumption of plant chlorophyll pigments, animals, too, are able to derive energy directly from sunlight.

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Section: The Effect Of Light In Vivomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Atp Stores and Life Spanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP

Zhang

Mihai

et al. 2013

Journal of Cell Science

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“…In fact, when IR or NIR light is applied to damaged cells, in particular NSD cells, functional repair ensues62. Calculation of the quantity of light reaching deep brain structures adjacent to SN tissue after 3000 Lx of “light pollution”, was in the range of 1.5 × 10−6 to 1.5 × 10−7 Lx, based on the findings reported in (Van Brunt et al (1964)63 as cited in Romeo et al (2013)1. This minute amount of NIR light contrasts dramatically to the amount applied to NSD neurones to induce repair (0.06 Lx)62.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parkinson's Disease, Lights and Melanocytes: Looking Beyond the Retina

Willis¹,

Moore²,

Armstrong³

2014

Sci Rep

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Critical analysis of recent research suggesting that light pollution causes Parkinson's disease (PD) reveals that such a hypothesis is unsustainable in the context of therapeutic use of light in treating various neuropsychiatric conditions. Reinterpretation of their findings suggests that retinal damage caused by prolonged light exposure may have contributed to the observed enhancement of experimental PD. To test this hypothesis further, forty-two Sprague Dawley rats received microinjections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), 1-methyl-4-phenyl-2, 4, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), paraquat or rotenone into the vitreal mass in doses so minute that the effects could not be attributed to diffusion into brain. Significant changes in five motor parameters consistent with symptoms of experimental PD were observed. These findings support the interpretation that the retina is involved in the control of motor function and in the aetiology of PD.

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“…It has been shown that mammalian brain consists of photosensitive opsin proteins also outside the RHT [10][11][12][13], and that light penetrates the mammalian skull [14][15][16][17]. It has been also proved that light is capable of phosphorylating OPN4, which inhibits the G protein-coupled activation [18], although only some OPN4 gene variants have been shown to affect the responses to light stimulus [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcranial Light Alters Melanopsin and Monoamine Production in Mouse (Mus musculus) Brain

et al. 2017

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Background: The mammalian circadian system sets a rhythm for the appropriate occurrence of physiological and behavioral phenomena during a 24-h period. Since the duration of the circadian system is usually less or more than 24 h, it must be entrained regularly and light is the governing stimulus of the rhythm. The target for light stimulus is the master circadian clock, which is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. One of the key molecules transmitting light information and entraining the clock is melanopsin (OPN4), a G protein-coupled molecule that is found most abundantly in the retina and brain. Although light stimulus is usually mediated through the eyes, light has an ability to penetrate the skull. Here, we present the effect of transcranial light illumination on OPN4 and serotonin expression in the mouse brain.

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Penetration of Light Into the Brain of Mammals *

Cited by 42 publications

References 10 publications

Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP

Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP

Parkinson's Disease, Lights and Melanocytes: Looking Beyond the Retina

Transcranial Light Alters Melanopsin and Monoamine Production in Mouse (Mus musculus) Brain

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