The Effects of Blue LED Light on Behavior and Retinal Function in Maternal and Offspring Mice

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated whether blue light emission diode (LED) light exposure affects the maternal behavior of mice. The brain function of the offspring mice, including short-term memory, locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and depression-like behavior, was evaluated. Pregnant mice at day 11 were housed in the apparatus for exposure to blue LED light during the daytime. Nesting behavior and the survival of pups were observed until weaning. After weaning, the offspring mice were bred in normal light conditions until 12 weeks old, and then the Y-maze test, open field test, and tail suspension test were performed. Retinal functions were evaluated by electroretinogram and histological analysis. Blue LED light exposure during the daytime induced retinal damage, but did not affect behavior related to maternal care in maternal mice. In the offspring mice, blue LED light exposure during the daytime did not affect the retina or brain functions. These findings suggest that blue LED light during the daytime might not be a risk factor for disruption of the mother-infant relationship or offspring brain development in mice.

Effects of Daytime Blue-Enriched LED Light on Physiologic Parameters of Three Common Mouse Strains Maintained on an IVC System

“…Furthermore, one study reported that C57BL/6 mice exposed to either bLAD or CWF showed no behavioral differences when performing in Y-maze test, object recognition test, tail suspension test, and open field test. 12 In the present study and in a few previously mentioned studies, 12,19 no major differences were seen in behavior between lighting conditions. Other behavioral tests could be affected by lighting, especially in melatonin producing strains of mice.…”

“…This finding is consistent with a previous study that investigated nesting as a measure of maternal behavior in ICR mice. 19 That study also found no significant difference found in nest type between bLAD and fluorescent lighting. 19 Furthermore, in the current study, BALB/c male and female mice housed under CWF conditions made dome type nests in numbers that were approximately equal to that of bowl type nests, which were the dominant type of nest built by the other 2 strains.…”

“…19 That study also found no significant difference found in nest type between bLAD and fluorescent lighting. 19 Furthermore, in the current study, BALB/c male and female mice housed under CWF conditions made dome type nests in numbers that were approximately equal to that of bowl type nests, which were the dominant type of nest built by the other 2 strains. In addition, males, with the exception of BALB/c under CWF conditions and B6 under bLAD conditions, had at least one instance of making a completely flat nest.…”

“…the blue-appearing portion of the visible spectrum (similar to natural sunlight) on rodents. 7,19 We theorize that exposure to more natural daytime lighting conditions is better for animal welfare and physiology. The current study examined the influence of lighting type on a variety of parameters related to animal welfare.…”

Carbon-mixed dental cement for fixing fiber optic ferrules prevents visually triggered locomotive enhancement in mice upon optogenetic stimulation

“…Sensitiveness to illumination may have developed as a defensive mechanism to detect potential predators approaching from above ( Wei et al., 2015 ). Moreover, mice were shown to possess photoreceptors sensitive to blue light ( Horibe et al., 2017 ; Peirson et al., 2018 ; Vicente-Tejedor et al., 2018 ). Several authors called attention in the design and interpretation of optogenetic behavioral experiments, taking into account possible artefacts caused by light leakage in the light delivery pathway ( Ung and Arenkiel, 2012 ; Allen et al., 2015 ).…”