Short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light during work at night: limited melatonin suppression without substantial decline of alertness

Werken, Maan van de; Giménez, Marina C; Vries, Bonnie de; Beersma, Domien; Gordijn, Marijke C. M.

doi:10.3109/07420528.2013.773440

Cited by 52 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…For example, selectively blocking exposure to short-wavelength light (e.g., using specialized goggles) has been shown to prevent the suppressive effects of moderately-bright white light on melatonin production26272829. Analogous findings have been reported for the pupillary light reflex, in which filtering of short-wavelength light (460 nm to 480 nm) reduced sustained pupillary constriction responses to a bright blue light stimulus (470 nm, 100 cd m −2 )30.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Pupillary responses to short-wavelength light are preserved in aging

Rukmini

Miléa

Aung

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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With aging, less blue light reaches the retina due to gradual yellowing of the lens. This could result in reduced activation of blue light-sensitive melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells, which mediate non-visual light responses (e.g., the pupillary light reflex, melatonin suppression, and circadian resetting). Herein, we tested the hypothesis that older individuals show greater impairment of pupillary responses to blue light relative to red light. Dose-response curves for pupillary constriction to 469-nm blue light and 631-nm red light were compared between young normal adults aged 21–30 years (n = 60) and older adults aged ≥50 years (normal, n = 54; mild cataract, n = 107; severe cataract, n = 18). Irrespective of wavelength, pupillary responses were reduced in older individuals and further attenuated by severe, but not mild, cataract. The reduction in pupillary responses was comparable in response to blue light and red light, suggesting that lens yellowing did not selectively reduce melanopsin-dependent light responses. Compensatory mechanisms likely occur in aging that ensure relative constancy of pupillary responses to blue light despite changes in lens transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Pupillary responses to short-wavelength light are preserved in aging

Rukmini

Miléa

Aung

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These ‘non-visual’ effects of light are mediated primarily by the non-rod, non-cone melanopsin-containing photoreceptors located in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and are maximally sensitive to short-wavelength blue light (λ max 480 nm) (1, 4, 16, 17, 33). We and others have shown that filtering out short-wavelength light from high intensity (>1000 lux) broad-spectrum fluorescent white light can prevent melatonin suppression (14, 23, 24, 28, 29, 34), but whether this approach works under bedroom-light intensity [<100 lux (2, 30)] is not known. The relative contribution of ipRGCs is less under dim lighting (13); therefore, targeted reduction of short-wavelength light may be less effective under dim light conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of spectral tuning of evening ambient light on melatonin suppression, alertness and sleep

Rahman

Hilaire

Lockley

2017

Physiology & Behavior

103

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We compared the effects of bedroom-intensity light from a standard fluorescent and a blue- (i.e., short-wavelength) depleted LED source on melatonin suppression, alertness, and sleep. Sixteen healthy participants (8 females) completed a 4-day inpatient study. Participants were exposed to blue-depleted circadian-sensitive (C-LED) light and a standard fluorescent light (FL, 4100K) of equal illuminance (50 lux) for 8 h prior to a fixed bedtime on two separate days in a within-subject, randomized, cross-over design. Each light exposure day was preceded by a dim light (<3 lux) control at the same time 24 hours earlier. Compared to the FL condition, control-adjusted melatonin suppression was significantly reduced. Although subjective sleepiness was not different between the two light conditions, auditory reaction times were significantly slower under C-LED conditions compared to FL 30 minutes prior to bedtime. EEG-based correlates of alertness corroborated the reduced alertness under C-LED conditions as shown by significantly increased EEG spectral power in the delta-theta (0.5–8.0 Hz) bands under C-LED as compared to FL exposure. There was no significant difference in total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE%), and slow-wave activity (SWA) between the two conditions. Unlike melatonin suppression and alertness, a significant order effect was observed on all three sleep variables, however. Individuals who received C-LED first and then FL had increased TST, SE% and SWA averaged across both nights compared to individuals who received FL first and then C-LED. These data show that the spectral characteristics of light can be fine-tuned to attenuate non-visual responses to light in humans.

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“…But according to recent findings, lights with little inhibitory activity on melatonin secretion, as short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light (Van de Werken et al, 2013) or long-wavelength, i.e., red color (Figueiro et al, 2009; Figueiro et al, 2015; Sahin and Figueiro, 2013), have also shown alerting effects both during daytime and night, as indexed by increased heart rate and reduced alpha and alpha-theta power of EEG. These results altogether suggest that melatonin suppression is not always necessary to increase arousal through light exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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Short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light during work at night: limited melatonin suppression without substantial decline of alertness

Cited by 52 publications

References 70 publications

Pupillary responses to short-wavelength light are preserved in aging

Pupillary responses to short-wavelength light are preserved in aging

The effects of spectral tuning of evening ambient light on melatonin suppression, alertness and sleep

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

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