Red Light Sensitivity of Non-image and Image Forming Visual Systems of Laboratory Rodents: Circadian Disruption and Behavioral Detection.

ABSTRACT: The mammalian circadian system regulates all biological processes, thereby ensuring optimal function at the appropriate times of day. Animal studies that examine neurobehavioral processes at different times of day, including during the animal's active phase, may provide important new biomedical insights. A logistical problem for the study of nocturnal laboratory rodents is the potential confounding influence of nighttime light exposure, which may cause circadian disruption and alteration of behavior. The historical solution has been to use red light illumination, which is widely believed to be undetected by the rodent visual system. However, some recent studies have questioned this belief. We, therefore, tested the effects of nighttime exposure to commonly used red light conditions on the

SUBMITTER: Stritzel WJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12079729 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature