Lights Help Fight Dementia

A study done by Eus Van Someren at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, showed that elderly patients with dementia who were exposed to bright lights in long-term care facilities scored 5% better on cognitive tests and had 19% fewer depressive symptoms than similar patients residing in less well-lit facilities.

The article posted on on June 10th in Time magazine, explained that the brightness of the overhead lights ( 1,000-lux) is equivalent to the brightness of TV studio lights.

The reason the lights work, according to the authors, is that they are able to effect the
body's circadian clock, which is regulated by a cluster of cells in the brain's hypothalamus. Those cells release agents that, along with the hormone melatonin, help to regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle and are responsible for alerting the brain when the cycle is broken.

Disregulation of the circadian rhythm can causes changes in hormonal status and metabolites in the blood explained Dr. Marilyn Albert, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, as reported in the article. "

As we age the cells in the hypothalamus become less active. And for the elderly who spend less time outdoors their melatonin production is further decreased which causes sleep and mood disturbances.

How nice to learn about a somewhat natural ( as opposed to natural sunlight) that helps such a devastating condition.