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Peer-reviewedCC BYClocks & sleep

Photic Phase Shifts of the Mouse Circadian Clock Are Defined by Scene Irradiance Across Differences in the Spatial Distribution of Light.

  • Qian Huang1,2
  • Franck P Martial1,2
  • Riccardo Storchi2
  • Robert J Lucas1,2
  1. 1Centre for Biological Timing, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
  2. 2Division of Neuroscience, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
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Abstract

Light resets the mammalian circadian clock, but whether this response is determined solely by integrated light intensity (irradiance) or is also influenced by the spatial distribution of light remains unclear. We tested whether high-contrast or low-spatial-frequency patterns modulate circadian responses in mice independently of scene irradiance. Circadian phase shifts were measured following exposure to spatially patterned illumination, including high-contrast checkerboards and spot stimuli positioned at the horizon or zenith. Across all experiments, redistributing light within the visual field did not measurably alter phase-shift amplitude when irradiance was matched between paired conditions. Circadian responses were well predicted by total scene irradiance whereas a metric based on the region of highest radiance provided a poorer account of the data. These findings are consistent with effective spatial integration of light by the mouse circadian system. Within the range of spatial and irradiance conditions tested, our results support irradiance as a simple and effective metric for predicting circadian responses across light environments with divergent spatial distributions.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{huang2026photic,
  title = {{Photic Phase Shifts of the Mouse Circadian Clock Are Defined by Scene Irradiance Across Differences in the Spatial Distribution of Light.}},
  author = {Qian Huang and Franck P Martial and Riccardo Storchi and Robert J Lucas},
  journal = {Clocks \& sleep},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3390/clockssleep8040062},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924738},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Photic Phase Shifts of the Mouse Circadian Clock Are Defined by Scene Irradiance Across Differences in the Spatial Distribution of Light.
AU  - Qian Huang
AU  - Franck P Martial
AU  - Riccardo Storchi
AU  - Robert J Lucas
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
JO  - Clocks & sleep
DO  - 10.3390/clockssleep8040062
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924738
AB  - Light resets the mammalian circadian clock, but whether this response is determined solely by integrated light intensity (irradiance) or is also influenced by the spatial distribution of light remains unclear. We tested whether high-contrast or low-spatial-frequency patterns modulate circadian responses in mice independently of scene irradiance. Circadian phase shifts were measured following exposure to spatially patterned illumination, including high-contrast checkerboards and spot stimuli positioned at the horizon or zenith. Across all experiments, redistributing light within the visual field did not measurably alter phase-shift amplitude when irradiance was matched between paired conditions. Circadian responses were well predicted by total scene irradiance whereas a metric based on the region of highest radiance provided a poorer account of the data. These findings are consistent with effective spatial integration of light by the mouse circadian system. Within the range of spatial and irradiance conditions tested, our results support irradiance as a simple and effective metric for predicting circadian responses across light environments with divergent spatial distributions.
SN  - 2624-5175
ER  -