Non-image forming effects of illuminance level: Exploring parallel effects on physiological arousal and task performance

Huiberts, LM Laura; Smolders, Kchj Karin; Kort, Y.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.05.035

Cited by 82 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…These measures revealed a clear dissociation between the physiological and cognitive responses to light, as highlighted by neuroimaging studies (Vandewalle et al, 2009) and supported by Huiberts et al (2016). At the physiological level, our temperature analyses showed an effect of lighting.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Blue-Enriched White Light Enhances Physiological Arousal But Not Behavioral Performance during Simulated Driving at Early Night

et al. 2017

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Vigilance usually deteriorates over prolonged driving at non-optimal times of day. Exposure to blue-enriched light has shown to enhance arousal, leading to behavioral benefits in some cognitive tasks. However, the cognitive effects of long-wavelength light have been less studied and its effects on driving performance remained to be addressed. We tested the effects of a blue-enriched white light (BWL) and a long-wavelength orange light (OL) vs. a control condition of dim light on subjective, physiological and behavioral measures at 21:45 h. Neurobehavioral tests included the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale and subjective mood scale, recording of distal-proximal temperature gradient (DPG, as index of physiological arousal), accuracy in simulated driving and reaction time in the auditory psychomotor vigilance task. The results showed that BWL decreased the DPG (reflecting enhanced arousal), while it did not improve reaction time or driving performance. Instead, blue light produced larger driving errors than OL, while performance in OL was stable along time on task. These data suggest that physiological arousal induced by light does not necessarily imply cognitive improvement. Indeed, excessive arousal might deteriorate accuracy in complex tasks requiring precision, such as driving.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Blue-Enriched White Light Enhances Physiological Arousal But Not Behavioral Performance during Simulated Driving at Early Night

et al. 2017

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“…In line with other studies [4,7,36], the results from the PVT did not corroborate a clear alerting effect of light on behaviour. However, considering this behavioural measure was crucial to our main finding.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Two main findings emerged. First, we dissociated between physiological and behavioural effects of light: blue-enriched light enhanced vigilance as indexed by skin temperature, whereas this physiological effect was not evident at the behavioural level as indexed by the PVT [36]. Second, we found that behavioural effects of light on SART performance were highly variable across individuals, and depended on their prior state of vigilance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light Effects on Behavioural Performance Depend on the Individual State of Vigilance

2016

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Research has shown that exposure to bright white light or blue-enriched light enhances alertness, but this effect is not consistently observed in tasks demanding high-level cognition (e.g., Sustained Attention to Response Task—SART, which measures inhibitory control). Individual differences in sensitivity to light effects might be mediated by variations in the basal level of arousal. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the participants’ behavioural state of vigilance before light exposure, through the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Then we compared the effects of a blue-enriched vs. dim light at nighttime on the performance of the auditory SART, by controlling for individual differences in basal arousal. The results replicated the alerting effects of blue-enriched light, as indexed by lower values of both proximal temperature and distal-proximal gradient. The main finding was that lighting effects on SART performance were highly variable across individuals and depended on their prior state of vigilance. Specifically, participants with higher levels of basal vigilance before light exposure benefited most from blue-enriched lighting, responding faster in the SART. These results highlight the importance of considering basal vigilance to define the boundary conditions of light effects on cognitive performance. Our study adds to current research delineating the complex and reciprocal interactions between lighting effects, arousal, cognitive task demands and behavioural performance.

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“…Although the modulatory effects of light on brain network activity in humans are well demonstrated [5–8], the effects of light on cognitive performance are less clear, with varying results across different behavioural tasks [9–11,13–15,34]. Importantly, the retinal photoreceptors that mediate these responses have remained poorly defined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulation of recognition memory performance by light requires both melanopsin and classical photoreceptors

Tam

Hasan²,

Hughes³

et al. 2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Acute light exposure exerts various effects on physiology and behaviour. Although the effects of light on brain network activity in humans are well demonstrated, the effects of light on cognitive performance are inconclusive, with the size, as well as direction, of the effect depending on the nature of the task. Similarly, in nocturnal rodents, bright light can either facilitate or disrupt performance depending on the type of task employed. Crucially, it is unclear whether the effects of light on behavioural performance are mediated via the classical image-forming rods and cones or the melanopsin-expressing photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. Here, we investigate the modulatory effects of light on memory performance in mice using the spontaneous object recognition task. Importantly, we examine which photoreceptors are required to mediate the effects of light on memory performance. By using a cross-over design, we show that object recognition memory is disrupted when the test phase is conducted under a bright light (350 lux), regardless of the light level in the sample phase (10 or 350 lux), demonstrating that exposure to a bright light at the time of test, rather than at the time of encoding, impairs performance. Strikingly, the modulatory effect of light on memory performance is completely abolished in both melanopsin-deficient and rodless–coneless mice. Our findings provide direct evidence that melanopsin-driven and rod/cone-driven photoresponses are integrated in order to mediate the effect of light on memory performance.

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Non-image forming effects of illuminance level: Exploring parallel effects on physiological arousal and task performance

Cited by 82 publications

References 53 publications

Blue-Enriched White Light Enhances Physiological Arousal But Not Behavioral Performance during Simulated Driving at Early Night

Blue-Enriched White Light Enhances Physiological Arousal But Not Behavioral Performance during Simulated Driving at Early Night

Light Effects on Behavioural Performance Depend on the Individual State of Vigilance

Modulation of recognition memory performance by light requires both melanopsin and classical photoreceptors

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