scholarly journals Efficacy of a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses for delaying circadian phase in humans

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. E174-E181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Gronfier ◽  
Kenneth P. Wright ◽  
Richard E. Kronauer ◽  
Megan E. Jewett ◽  
Charles A. Czeisler
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Phase Delay ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Circadian Pacemaker ◽  
Light Pulses ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Single Sequence

It has been shown in animal studies that exposure to brief pulses of bright light can phase shift the circadian pacemaker and that the resetting action of light is most efficient during the first minutes of light exposure. In humans, multiple consecutive days of exposure to brief bright light pulses have been shown to phase shift the circadian pacemaker. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a single sequence of brief bright light pulses administered during the early biological night would phase delay the human circadian pacemaker. Twenty-one healthy young subjects underwent a 6.5-h light exposure session in one of three randomly assigned conditions: 1) continuous bright light of ∼9,500 lux, 2) intermittent bright light (six 15-min bright light pulses of ∼9,500 lux separated by 60 min of very dim light of <1 lux), and 3) continuous very dim light of <1 lux. Twenty subjects were included in the analysis. Core body temperature (CBT) and melatonin were used as phase markers of the circadian pacemaker. Phase delays of CBT and melatonin rhythms in response to intermittent bright light pulses were comparable to those measured after continuous bright light exposure, even though the total exposure to the intermittent bright light represented only 23% of the 6.5-h continuous exposure. These results demonstrate that a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses can phase delay the human circadian pacemaker and show that intermittent pulses have a greater resetting efficacy on a per minute basis than does continuous exposure.

Nonphotic entrainment of the human circadian pacemaker

1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. R991-R996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Klerman ◽  
David W. Rimmer ◽  
Derk-Jan Dijk ◽  
Richard E. Kronauer ◽  
Joseph F. Rizzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Circadian Pacemaker ◽  
Temperature Rhythms ◽  
Blind Individuals ◽  
Nonphotic Entrainment ◽  
Core Body

In organisms as diverse as single-celled algae and humans, light is the primary stimulus mediating entrainment of the circadian biological clock. Reports that some totally blind individuals appear entrained to the 24-h day have suggested that nonphotic stimuli may also be effective circadian synchronizers in humans, although the nonphotic stimuli are probably comparatively weak synchronizers, because the circadian rhythms of many totally blind individuals “free run” even when they maintain a 24-h activity-rest schedule. To investigate entrainment by nonphotic synchronizers, we studied the endogenous circadian melatonin and core body temperature rhythms of 15 totally blind subjects who lacked conscious light perception and exhibited no suppression of plasma melatonin in response to ocular bright-light exposure. Nine of these fifteen blind individuals were able to maintain synchronization to the 24-h day, albeit often at an atypical phase angle of entrainment. Nonphotic stimuli also synchronized the endogenous circadian rhythms of a totally blind individual to a non-24-h schedule while living in constant near darkness. We conclude that nonphotic stimuli can entrain the human circadian pacemaker in some individuals lacking ocular circadian photoreception.

Human circadian pacemaker is sensitive to light throughout subjective day without evidence of transients

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (5) ◽  
pp. R1800-R1809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Jewett ◽  
David W. Rimmer ◽  
Jeanne F. Duffy ◽  
Elizabeth B. Klerman ◽  
Richard E. Kronauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Response Curve ◽  
Phase Response Curve ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Dead Zone ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Temperature Minimum ◽  
Circadian Pacemaker ◽  
Dim Light

Fifty-six resetting trials were conducted across the subjective day in 43 young men using a three-cycle bright-light (∼10,000 lx) stimulus against a background of very dim light (10–15 lx). The phase-response curve (PRC) to these trials was assessed for the presence of a “dead zone” of photic insensitivity and was compared with another three-cycle PRC that had used a background of ∼150 lx. To assess possible transients after the light stimulus, the trials were divided into 43 steady-state trials, which occurred after several baseline days, and 13 consecutive trials, which occurred immediately after a previous resetting trial. We found that 1) bright light induces phase shifts throughout subjective day with no apparent dead zone; 2) there is no evidence of transients in constant routine assessments of the fitted temperature minimum 1–2 days after completion of the resetting stimulus; and 3) the timing of background room light modulates the resetting response to bright light. These data indicate that the human circadian pacemaker is sensitive to light at virtually all circadian phases, implying that the entire 24-h pattern of light exposure contributes to entrainment.

156 Evening Light-Induced Circadian Phase Shift in Preschool-Aged Children

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A63-A64
Author(s):  
Lauren Hartstein ◽  
Lameese Akacem ◽  
Cecilia Diniz Behn ◽  
Shelby Stowe ◽  
Kenneth Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Phase Delay ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Light Intensities ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Dose Dependent

Abstract Introduction In adults, exposure to light at night delays the timing of the circadian clock in a dose-dependent manner with intensity. Although children’s melatonin levels are highly suppressed by evening bright light, the sensitivity of young children’s circadian timing to evening light is unknown. This research aimed to establish an illuminance response curve for phase delay in preschool children as a result of exposure to varying light intensities in the hour before bedtime. Methods Healthy children (n=36, 3.0 – 4.9 years, 39% males), participated in a 10-day protocol. For 7 days, children followed a strict parent-selected sleep schedule. On Days 8-10, an in-home dim-light assessment was performed. On Day 8, dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) was measured through saliva samples collected in 20-30-min intervals throughout the evening until 1-h past habitual bedtime. On Day 9, children were exposed to a white light stimulus (semi-randomly assigned from 5lx to 5000lx) for 1-h before their habitual bedtime, and saliva was collected before, during, and after the exposure. On Day 10, children provided saliva samples in the evening for 2.5-h past bedtime for a final DLMO assessment. Phase angle of entrainment (habitual bedtime – DLMObaseline) and circadian phase delay (DLMOfinal – DLMObaseline) were computed. Results Final DLMO (Day 10) shifted between -8 and 123 minutes (M = 56.1 +/- 33.6 min; negative value = phase advance, positive value = phase delay) compared with DLMO at baseline (Day 8). Raw phase shift did not demonstrate a dose-dependent relationship with light intensity. Rather, we observed a robust phase delay across all intensities. Conclusion These data suggest preschoolers’ circadian clocks are immensely sensitive to a large range of light intensities, which may be mechanistically influenced by less mature ophthalmologic features (e.g. clearer lenses, larger pupils). With young children’s ever-growing use of light-emitting devices and evening exposure to artificial lighting, as well as the prevalence of behavioral sleep problems, these findings may inform recommendations for parents on the effects of evening light exposure on sleep timing in early childhood. Support (if any) This research was supported with funds from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (R01-HD087707).

Repeated exposures to daytime bright light increase nocturnal melatonin rise and maintain circadian phase in young subjects under fixed sleep schedule

2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (6) ◽  
pp. R1799-R1807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana N. Takasu ◽  
Satoko Hashimoto ◽  
Yujiro Yamanaka ◽  
Yusuke Tanahashi ◽  
Ayano Yamazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Peak Level ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Sleep Schedule ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Core Body

Effects of two different light intensities during daytime were examined on human circadian rhythms in plasma melatonin, core body temperature, and wrist activity under a fixed sleep schedule. Sleep qualities as indicated by polysomnography and subjective sleepiness were also measured. In the first week, under dim light conditions (∼10 lx), the onset and peak of nocturnal melatonin rise were significantly delayed, whereas the end of melatonin rise was not changed. The peak level of melatonin rise was not affected. As a result, the width of nocturnal melatonin rise was significantly shortened. In the second week, under bright light conditions (∼5,000 lx), the phases of nocturnal melatonin rise were not changed further, but the peak level was significantly increased. Core body temperature at the initial sleep phase was progressively elevated during the course of dim light exposure and reached the maximum level at the first night of bright light conditions. Subjective sleepiness gradually declined in the course of dim light exposure and reached the minimum level at the first day of bright light. These findings indicate that repeated exposures to daytime bright light are effective in controlling the circadian phase and increasing the peak level of nocturnal melatonin rise in plasma and suggest a close correlation between phase-delay shifts of the onset of nocturnal melatonin rise or body temperature rhythm and daytime sleepiness.

scholarly journals Precision Light for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevag Kaladchibachi ◽  
Fabian Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Internal Clock ◽  
Light Pulses ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Flexible Architectures ◽  
Bright Light Exposure

Circadian timekeeping can be reset by brief flashes of light using stimulation protocols thousands of times shorter than those previously assumed to be necessary for traditional phototherapy. These observations point to a future where flexible architectures of nanosecond-, microsecond-, and millisecond-scale light pulses are compiled to reprogram the brain’s internal clock when it has been altered by psychiatric illness or advanced age. In the current review, we present a chronology of seminal experiments that established the synchronizing influence of light on the human circadian system and the efficacy of prolonged bright-light exposure for reducing symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder. We conclude with a discussion of the different ways that precision flashes could be parlayed during sleep to effect neuroadaptive changes in brain function. This article is a contribution to a special issue onCircadian Rhythms in Regulation of Brain Processes and Role in Psychiatric Disorderscurated by editors Shimon Amir, Karen Gamble, Oliver Stork, and Harry Pantazopoulos.

Contemporaneous melatonin administration modifies the circadian response to nocturnal bright light stimuli

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (2) ◽  
pp. R482-R486 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Cagnacci ◽  
R. Soldani ◽  
S. S. Yen
Keyword(s):  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Phase Shifts ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Melatonin Administration ◽  
Baseline Evaluation ◽  
Light Stimuli

We investigated whether the contemporaneous administration of melatonin can modify circadian phase shifts induced by bright light stimuli. After a baseline evaluation, 10 women were exposed for three consecutive nights to a 4-h bright light stimulus (>3,000 lx) initiated at the time of the estimated core body temperature (BT(c)) nadir. Along with light, each woman orally received, randomly and in a double-blind fashion, placebo (n = 5) or melatonin (n = 5; 1 mg 30 min before and 0.75 mg 120 min after the start of light exposure). Daily rhythms were reevaluated at the end of treatment. Bright light phase advanced, by about 90-120 min, BT(c) (P < 0.01), cortisol (P < 0.05), and melatonin (P < 0.01) rhythms. Contemporaneous administration of melatonin antagonized the phase advances of the cortisol and BT(c) rhythms, as well as the melatonin peak and melatonin offset. The phase advance of the melatonin onset was instead enhanced (P < 0.05). Contemporaneous melatonin administration modifies the capability of light to induce circadian phase shifts.

Temporal dynamics of late-night photic stimulation of the human circadian timing system

2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (3) ◽  
pp. R839-R844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Zeitzer ◽  
Sat Bir S. Khalsa ◽  
Diane B. Boivin ◽  
Jeanne F. Duffy ◽  
Theresa L. Shanahan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Circadian Pacemaker ◽  
Late Night ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Circadian Timing System ◽  
The Relationship

The light-dark cycle is the primary synchronizing factor that keeps the internal circadian pacemaker appropriately aligned with the environmental 24-h day. Although it is known that ocular light exposure can effectively shift the human circadian pacemaker and do so in an intensity-dependent manner, the curve that describes the relationship between light intensity and pacemaker response has not been fully characterized for light exposure in the late biological night. We exposed subjects to 3 consecutive days of 5 h of experimental light, centered 1.5 h after the timing of the fitted minimum of core body temperature, and show that such light can phase advance shift the human circadian pacemaker in an intensity-dependent manner, with a logistic model best describing the relationship between light intensity and phase shift. A similar sigmoidal relationship is also observed between light intensity and the suppression of plasma melatonin concentrations that occurs during the experimental light exposure. As with a simpler, 1-day light exposure during the early biological night, our data indicate that the human circadian pacemaker is highly sensitive even to typical room light intensities during the late biological night, with ∼100 lux evoking half of the effects observed with light 10 times as bright.

scholarly journals Bright morning light advances the human circadian system without affecting NREM sleep homeostasis

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (1) ◽  
pp. R106-R111 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Dijk ◽  
D. G. Beersma ◽  
S. Daan ◽  
A. J. Lewy
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Light Condition ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Circadian Pacemaker ◽  
Sleep Regulation ◽  
Plasma Melatonin ◽  
Sleep Homeostasis ◽  
Dim Light

Eight male subjects were exposed to either bright light or dim light between 0600 and 0900 h for 3 consecutive days each. Relative to the dim light condition, the bright light treatment advanced the evening rise in plasma melatonin and the time of sleep termination (sleep onset was held constant) for an average approximately 1 h. The magnitude of the advance of the plasma melatonin rise was dependent on its phase in dim light. The reduction in sleep duration was at the expense of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Spectral analysis of the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) revealed that the advance of the circadian pacemaker did not affect EEG power densities between 0.25 and 15.0 Hz during either non-REM or REM sleep. The data show that shifting the human circadian pacemaker by 1 h does not affect non-REM sleep homeostasis. These findings are in accordance with the predictions of the two-process model of sleep regulation.

Differential effects of bright light and social cues on reentrainment of human circadian rhythms

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (2) ◽  
pp. R528-R535 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Honma ◽  
S. Honma ◽  
K. Nakamura ◽  
M. Sasaki ◽  
T. Endo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Phase Shift ◽  
Light Pulse ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Maximum Phase ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Light Pulses ◽  
Human Circadian Rhythm ◽  
The Social ◽  
Temperature Rhythms

Reentrainment of human circadian rhythm to an 8-h advanced schedule of sleep and social contacts was assessed under two different conditions: with and without bright light (4,000-6,000 lx). Subjects spent 15 days without knowing the natural day-night alternation. On the fourth day, the social schedule was phase-advanced by 8 h. In one experiment, a bright light pulse of 3-h duration was given in every subjective morning, and in the other no light pulse was applied. Plasma melatonin and rectal temperature rhythms were measured. Seven of nine subjects showed an orthodromic phase shift, the rate of which was significantly larger with bright light pulses than without them. The maximum phase-advance shift by three consecutive light pulses was observed when the first pulse was applied approximately 4 h after the onset of melatonin rise. By contrast, the maximum phase shift of a similar extent was detected at 1 h after the onset of melatonin rise, when ordinary room light (300-500 lx) at the time corresponding to bright light was regarded as a dim light pulse. It is concluded that bright light accelerates the reentrainment of human circadian rhythm, and bright light and social schedule have differential effects on the reentrainment.

Brief Morning Light Exposure, Visuomotor Performance, and Biochemistry in Sport Shooters

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 756-762
Author(s):  
Veronika Leichtfried ◽  
Friedrich Hanser ◽  
Andrea Griesmacher ◽  
Markus Canazei ◽  
Wolfgang Schobersberger
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Related Measure ◽  
Visuomotor Performance

Context:Demands on concentrative and cognitive performance are high in sport shooting and vary in a circadian pattern, aroused by internal and external stimuli. The most prominent external stimulus is light. Bright light (BL) has been shown to have a certain impact on cognitive and physical performance.Purpose:To evaluate the impact of a single half hour of BL exposure in the morning hours on physical and cognitive performance in 15 sport shooters. In addition, courses of sulfateoxymelatonin (aMT6s), tryptophan (TRP), and kynurenine (KYN) were monitored.Methods:In a crossover design, 15 sport shooters were exposed to 30 min of BL and dim light (DL) in the early-morning hours. Shooting performance, balance, visuomotor performance, and courses of aMT6s, TRP, and KYN were evaluated.Results:Shooting performance was 365.4 (349.7–381.0) and 368.5 (353.9–383.1), identical in both light setups. Numbers of right reactions (sustained attention) and deviations from the horizontal plane (balance-related measure) were higher after BL. TRP concentrations decreased from 77.5 (73.5–81.4) to 66.9 (60.7–67.0) in the DL setup only.Conclusions:The 2 light conditions generated heterogeneous visuomotor and physiological effects in sport shooters. The authors therefore suggest that a single half hour of BL exposure is effective in improving cognitive aspects of performance, but not physical performance. Further research is needed to evaluate BL’s impact on biochemical parameters.

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