Figure 3.

Chemogenetic and Light Activation of mRGCs Alters Performance in Behavioral Tests

(A) Time spent in center over 10 min under dim far-red illumination in an open arena in hM3Dq-expressing and control Opn4^Cre/+ mice treated with CNO or saline. Open bars depict data from hM3Dq-expressing mice, and filled bars depict data from control Opn4^Cre/+ mice.

(B–D) Time spent in open arms (B) and the number of entries to open (C) and closed (D) arms of an elevated plus maze under dim far-red illumination in hM3Dq and control Opn4^Cre/+ mice treated with CNO or saline.

(E) Time spent by visually intact (Opn4^Cre/+) and rodless and coneless (rd1;Cnga3^−/−) mice in center of an open arena under bright or dim far-red light.

(F) Time spent by visually intact (Opn4^Cre/+) and melanopsin knockout (Opn4^−/−) mice in center of an open arena under bright or dim far-red light.

All behavioral tests undertaken between CT14 and CT17; n = 9–13 per group, two-way ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni correction, ^∗p < 0.05, ^∗∗p < 0.01. All graphs depict mean ± SEM, with open bars depicting hM3Dq-expressing mice and closed bars depicting control Opn4^Cre/+ mice, except in (E) and (F), where closed bars depict dim light and hatched bars depict bright light. In all cases, dim far-red light was 2.91 μW cm⁻², λ > 680 nm, and bright light was white, 217 μW cm⁻².