Confirmation of Candidature - The Effect of Melanopsin on Social Cognitive Processing

Lighting conditions influence a wide range of cognitive and physiological functions, including attention, memory, mood, and physiological arousal. Evidence from the last two decades suggests that the effect of light on cognitive functioning is directly and indirectly mediated by the melanopsin pathway from the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) to numerous brain regions. Some mood disorders, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and bipolar disorder, have been found to be associated with the level of light intensity and duration. However, the effect of melanopsin on social cognitive processing has yet to be isolated and quantified. This proposed study will use a cutting-edge silent substitution method to systematically control and manipulate the excitation level of melanopsin while controlling the relative contribution from rod and cones examining its effect on social-cognitive processing tasks. It is expected that high melanopsin will increase the accuracy of emotional expression identification tasks and the ability to detect more subtle expressions. Moreover, high melanopsin will increase the level of self-referential and other-referential emotional awareness as well as the ability to empathise with others. This pilot study will use a repeated measures design and examine the effect of different melanopsin levels in the middle of the day when the melatonin level is at the lowest point of the daily cycle to eliminate its effect. It is proposed that the relevant melanopsin pathways are sufficient and necessary to affect social cognitive processing.  The result of the current study will help better understand the pathology of mood disorders and provide new leads for novel treatments. It will also provide quantified evidence for possible preventative methods to reduce the risk of mood disorders by optimising the residential and commercial lighting environment.

For more information, please contact the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.