Retinal Cells Help Set Body Clock


Photo-sensitive retinal cells could help to set the body's clock and regulates the body's circadian rhythms, according to scientists at `the University of South California and Cornell University. The discovery would mean that the retina was directly linked to controlling appetite , hormone levels and the body's sleep/wake cycles.

Researchers monitored the activity of lab animals bred to have functioning photo-sensitive rod cells but non functioning cone cells and found that prolonged exposure to low-light seemed to upset the body's cycles.

Scientists had previously held that circadian rhythms could only be set in high-light intensities. However, the new research shows in low and high light-intensities photo-sensitive rod cells in the eye's retina help to control the body's rhythms.

23rd September 2010

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