Robert James Lucas

The paper identifies an expanded hypothalamic visual network in a diurnal mammal, showing distinct visual response classes beyond the SCN.

This paper introduces optoDRD1, a photoswitchable optoGPCR that reversibly controls Gs and arrestin signaling using distinct wavelengths of light.

The paper identifies and characterizes far-red-sensitive opsins in mantis shrimp eyes, revealing their spectral tuning mechanisms and photoreversibility.

This study identifies a key amino acid in human OPN5 responsible for UV sensitivity and develops visible light-sensitive variants through site-directed mutagenesis.

This study compares visual code restoration in retinal degenerate mice by targeting opsins to bipolar cells versus retinal ganglion cells, finding that bipolar cell targeting produces a richer visual code.

The paper develops methods to quantify ambient light for mammals using species-specific photoreceptor-based measurements, showing improved physiological prediction compared to lux.

The paper compares retinal cell composition and visual coding between diurnal and nocturnal mice to show how evolutionary changes in cell types reconfigure visual information processing.

The paper integrates single-cell transcriptomic data from 17 vertebrate species to study the evolution of retinal cell types, finding conserved cell classes and subclasses with variation increasing from outer to inner retina.

The paper develops a consensus checklist and guidelines for reporting non-visual light effects in human studies, resulting in a 25-item checklist after expert feedback.

The paper shows that surviving retinal circuits can generate a functional visual code similar to wildtype even after advanced photoreceptor degeneration using optogenetic stimulation.

The paper identifies 'look-up' and 'look-down' neurons in the mouse visual thalamus during free movement, showing their activity is modulated by head posture and movement.

The paper identifies two light sensors in Platynereis dumerilii that distinguish moonlight from sunlight to adjust a circadian clock to moon phase.

The paper investigates daily electrical activity in the SCN of a diurnal mammal, finding day-night differences similar to nocturnal rodents but with a unique suppressive response.

The paper analyzes sensory cell types in Platynereis dumerilii to explore the evolutionary relationship between photo- and mechanoreceptors, finding that r-Opsin1 modulates mechanosensation through light-dependent mechanisms.

This study shows that higher daytime light intensity increases circadian rhythm amplitude in the diurnal rodent Rhabdomys pumilio by affecting SCN electrophysiological activity.

This paper demonstrates that Lamplight, a bistable opsin, can be used for switchable and scalable optogenetic inhibition of neurons in mice.

This study investigates the relationship between infra-slow and fast beta/gamma oscillations in the mouse visual system, finding they co-occur in some neurons and that infra-slow rhythms modulate beta/gamma amplitude.

This paper develops an optogenetic system to control BMP signaling using blue light, enabling precise and dynamic activation in human cells.

This study develops automated methods to measure vision in mice using innate defensive responses, showing they can assess visual acuity and detect retinal dysfunction.

The paper investigates how different photoreceptors modulate pupil size during movie viewing and finds all photoreceptors regulate pupil size under photopic light conditions.