Katharina Buczek
It has long been known that different wavelengths of visible light can provide various physical benefits.
Blue light, for instance, has been found to boost alertness, aid cognitive function and memory, and elevate moods.
Similarly, red light therapy has become a useful tool for improving wound healing, reducing stretch marks and wrinkles, and improving eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.
Recently, though, new research conducted by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, has begun to illuminate the benefits of green light therapy.
More specifically, the team followed neural activity from the eyes to the brains of mice in order to determine why exactly green light has pain-reducing benefits.
Past inquiries had already suggested that green light– primarily generated by LEDs– could help reduce the pain levels in people who suffer from migraines, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. However, the true mechanisms that made these effects possible remained elusive– until now.
The team analyzed each part of the visual processing system that is related to receiving and processing light in mice.
They first focused on the rods and cones photoreceptors located on the outer region of the retina. Then, they studied the retinal ganglion cells, which are located in the inner area of the retina.
Afterward, the researchers began disabling each individual part at different times in order to test how these variations would impact the pain experience. And through this technique, it was found that photoreceptors begin the neural pathway to pain relief.
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