Ohio: A recent research on mice at Ohio State University Medical Center found that exposure to bright lights in late night hours may increase the risk of depression and learning difficulties.
The research stated that exposure to bright light—such as that generated by a TV screen or a computer—at late night produced depressive symptoms within just a few weeks and lead to changes in the brain’s hippocampus that are similar to brain changes seen in depressed people.
In the study, mice exposed to too much light at night had trouble learning and remembering tasks compared to normal mice.
Biologist Samer Hattar says this is a condition known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, where some people become depressed during the winter season when days grow shorter.
Hattar’s team also believes depression and learning deficits can set in for so-called “night owls” — people who stay up very late and because they tend to sleep in late — do not see much morning light.
Tracy Bedrosian, the first author the on the new study, told reporters that results they found in mice are consistent with what they know about depression in humans.
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