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Melanopsin Contributions to Human Brightness Perception

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Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology

Synonyms

Brightness perception based on physiology; Contribution of melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cell to brightness perception; Brightness perception associated with photoreceptors’ stimulations

Definition

The contribution of melanopsin to brightness perception in humans is the role of photopigment melanopsin or of melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cell in brightness perception. Based on photometry, it is assumed that rods and cones are the only photoreceptors responsible for brightness perception. However, investigation of brightness perception should be reassessed based on stimulations of all photoreceptor classes including rods, cones, and melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells.

Overview

The discovery of melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells has led to a fundamental reassessment of visual and nonvisual processes responsible for encoding ambient illuminance. This entry provides a brief introduction of the functional role driven by melanopsin-containing...

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Correspondence to Sei-ichi Tsujimura .

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Tsujimura, Si., Takahashi, Y. (2020). Melanopsin Contributions to Human Brightness Perception. In: Shamey, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_422-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_422-1

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