Melanopsin is a short-wavelength-sensitive photopigment that was discovered only around 20 years ago. It is expressed in the cell bodies and processes of a subset of retinal ganglion cells in the retina (the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells; ipRGCs), thereby allowing them to signal light even in the absence of cone and rod input. Many of the fundamental properties of melanopsin signalling in humans for both visual (e.g. detection, discrimination, brightness estimation) and non-visual function (e.g. melatonin suppression, circadian phase shifting) remain to be elucidated. Here, we give an overview of what we know about melanopsin contributions in visual function and non-visual function.

黑视素是一种对短波长敏感的感光色素，大约在 20 年前才被发现。它在视网膜中视网膜神经节细胞子集（内在光敏视网膜神经节细胞；ipRGCs）的细胞体和过程中表达，从而使它们即使在没有视锥细胞和视杆细胞输入的情况下也能发出光信号。人类中黑视蛋白信号传导的许多基本特性对于视觉（例如检测、辨别、亮度估计）和非视觉功能（例如褪黑激素抑制、昼夜节律相移）仍有待阐明。在这里，我们概述了我们对黑视蛋白在视觉功能和非视觉功能中的贡献的了解。