Señalan en "Nature" que esta red presenta en la retina interna no tiene que ver con el resto de células retinianas que permiten la visión, sino que más bien están dedicadas a una percepción menos especializada de los cambios de luz.
Esta red de células estaría implicada en los ritmos circadianos, que gobiernan el ciclo de sueño-vigilia y desempeñan un papel importante en distintos procesos vitales, desde la producción de hormonas a la regulación de la presión arterial o la temperatura.
Hasta hace poco se pensaba que el ritmo circadiano tenía que ver con las mismas células de la retina que nos permiten ver, pero otros estudios han comprobado que los ritmos circadianos en mamíferos ciegos pueden responder a los cambios de luz. Por ejemplo, ratones ciegos siguen el mismo ritmo de sueño y vigilia que el resto de roedores, pero no sucede así si carecen de ojos. Esto se explica con el hallazgo de esta red de células, señalan los autores.
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Uniformed Services University
http://www.usuhs.mil/
Nature
http://www.nature.com/
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