Direct retino-iridal projections and intrinsic iris contraction mediate the pupillary light reflex in early vertebrates.

ABSTRACT: The pupillary light reflex (PLR) adapts the amount of light reaching the retina, protecting it and improving image formation. Two PLR mechanisms have been described in vertebrates. First, the pretectum receives retinal inputs and projects to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EWN), which targets the ciliary ganglion through the oculomotor nerve (nIII). Postganglionic fibers enter the eye-globe, traveling to the iris sphincter muscle. Additionally, some vertebrates exhibit an iris-intrinsic PLR mechanism mediated by sphincter muscle cells that express melanopsin inducing muscle contraction. Given the high degree of conservation of the lamprey visual system, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the PLR to shed light onto their evolutionary origins. Recently, a PLR mediated by melanopsin was

SUBMITTER: Jimenez-Lopez C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11324758 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature