Bronstein D M, Jacobs G H, Haak K A, Neitz J, Lytle L D
Brain Res. 1987 Mar 17;406(1-2):352-6. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(87)90806-7.
The spectral properties of the retinal mechanism mediating the inhibitory effects of nocturnal light on pineal gland N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity were determined. Pineal gland NAT activity declined linearly in albino rats exposed to different irradiances of a 460 or 580 nm monochromatic light during the middle of the dark phase of the cycle. The difference in sensitivity to the test lights is that predicted for a photopigment having peak absorbance at 495 nm, suggesting the inhibition of pineal gland N-acetyltransferase activity is mediated by the photopigment found in rat rods.
