How green light relieves stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors
While green environments have long been known to produce anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects, the underlying neurological pathways were poorly understood until now. Using advanced viral tracing, fiber photometry, and microendoscopic calcium imaging, the researchers tracked a unique wiring path from the eyes to the emotional control centers of the brain.
The authors found that the medial part of the secondary visual cortex (V2M) senses and encodes low-intensity green light. The V2M projects directly to the prelimbic cortex (PrL), a critical subregion of the medial prefrontal cortex that regulates emotional processing, stress, and anxiety.
Chemogenetic inhibition of this pathway or blockade of CRFR1 abolishes this effect in acute stress-induced anxiety-like behavioral model mice.
The study demonstrates that the green light acts as a direct, non-invasive neuromodulator for emotional states. This paves the way for targeted green-light medical devices designed to manage acute panic, post-traumatic stress, and generalized anxiety disorders without pharmaceuticals.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(26)00504-8
