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Atkinson, G., & Davenne, D. (2007). Relationships between sleep, physical activity and human health. Physiol Behav, 90(2-3), 229–235.
Abstract: Although sleep and exercise may seem to be mediated by completely different physiological mechanisms, there is growing evidence for clinically important relationships between these two behaviors. It is known that passive body heating facilitates the nocturnal sleep of healthy elderly people with insomnia. This finding supports the hypothesis that changes in body temperature trigger somnogenic brain areas to initiate sleep. Nevertheless, little is known about how the core and distal thermoregulatory responses to exercise fit into this hypothesis. Such knowledge could also help in reducing sleep problems associated with nocturnal shiftwork. It is difficult to incorporate physical activity into a shiftworker's lifestyle, since it is already disrupted in terms of family commitments and eating habits. A multi-research strategy is needed to identify what the optimal amounts and timing of physical activity are for reducing shiftwork-related sleep problems. The relationships between sleep, exercise and diet are also important, given the recently reported associations between short sleep length and obesity. The cardiovascular safety of exercise timing should also be considered, since recent data suggest that the reactivity of blood pressure to a change in general physical activity is highest during the morning. This time is associated with an increased risk in general of a sudden cardiac event, but more research work is needed to separate the influences of light, posture and exercise per se on the haemodynamic responses to sleep and physical activity following sleep taken at night and during the day as a nap.
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Bedrosian, T. A., Vaughn, C. A., Galan, A., Daye, G., Weil, Z. M., & Nelson, R. J. (2013). Nocturnal light exposure impairs affective responses in a wavelength-dependent manner. J Neurosci, 33(32), 13081–13087.
Abstract: Life on earth is entrained to a 24 h solar cycle that synchronizes circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior; light is the most potent entraining cue. In mammals, light is detected by (1) rods and cones, which mediate visual function, and (2) intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which primarily project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus to regulate circadian rhythms. Recent evidence, however, demonstrates that ipRGCs also project to limbic brain regions, suggesting that, through this pathway, light may have a role in cognition and mood. Therefore, it follows that unnatural exposure to light may have negative consequences for mood or behavior. Modern environmental lighting conditions have led to excessive exposure to light at night (LAN), and particularly to blue wavelength lights. We hypothesized that nocturnal light exposure (i.e., dim LAN) would induce depressive responses and alter neuronal structure in hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). If this effect is mediated by ipRGCs, which have reduced sensitivity to red wavelength light, then we predicted that red LAN would have limited effects on brain and behavior compared with shorter wavelengths. Additionally, red LAN would not induce c-Fos activation in the SCN. Our results demonstrate that exposure to LAN influences behavior and neuronal plasticity and that this effect is likely mediated by ipRGCs. Modern sources of LAN that contain blue wavelengths may be particularly disruptive to the circadian system, potentially contributing to altered mood regulation.
Keywords: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Circadian Rhythm/*physiology; Cricetinae; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Female; Food Deprivation/physiology; Food Preferences/physiology/radiation effects; Fourier Analysis; Gene Expression Regulation/radiation effects; Hippocampus/pathology/radiation effects; Immobility Response, Tonic/radiation effects; Light/*adverse effects; Mood Disorders/*etiology/pathology; Motor Activity/physiology/radiation effects; Phodopus; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism; Social Behavior; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus/metabolism; Time Factors
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Evans, J. A., Carter, S. N., Freeman, D. A., & Gorman, M. R. (2012). Dim nighttime illumination alters photoperiodic responses of hamsters through the intergeniculate leaflet and other photic pathways. Neuroscience, 202, 300–308.
Abstract: In mammals, light entrains the central pacemaker within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) through both a direct neuronal projection from the retina and an indirect projection from the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) of the thalamus. Although light comparable in intensity to moonlight is minimally effective at resetting the phase of the circadian clock, dimly lit and completely dark nights are nevertheless perceived differentially by the circadian system, even when nighttime illumination is below putative thresholds for phase resetting. Under a variety of experimental paradigms, dim nighttime illumination exerts effects that may be characterized as enhancing the plasticity of circadian entrainment. For example, relative to completely dark nights, dimly lit nights accelerate development of photoperiodic responses of Siberian hamsters transferred from summer to winter day lengths. Here we assess the neural pathways underlying this response by testing whether IGL lesions eliminate the effects of dim nighttime illumination under short day lengths. Consistent with previous work, dimly lit nights facilitated the expansion of activity duration under short day lengths. Ablation of the IGL, moreover, did not influence photoperiodic responses in animals held under completely dark nights. However, among animals that were provided dimly lit nights, IGL lesions prevented the short-day typical expansion of activity duration as well as the seasonally appropriate gonadal regression and reduction in body weight. Thus, the present data indicate that the IGL plays a central role in mediating the facilitative effects of dim nighttime illumination under short day lengths, but in the absence of the IGL, dim light at night influences photoperiodic responses through residual photic pathways.
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Evans, J. A., Elliott, J. A., & Gorman, M. R. (2009). Dim nighttime illumination accelerates adjustment to timezone travel in an animal model. Curr Biol, 19(4), R156–7.
Abstract: Jetlag reflects a mismatch between local and circadian time following rapid timezone travel [1]. Appropriately timed bright light can shift human circadian rhythms but recovery is slow (e.g., 1-2 days per timezone). Most symptoms subside after resynchronization, but chronic jetlag may have enduring negative effects [2], including even accelerated mortality in mice [3]. Melatonin, prescription drugs, and/or exercise may help shift the clock but, like bright light, require complex schedules of application [1]. Thus, there is a need for more efficient and practical treatments for addressing jetlag. In contrast to bright daytime lighting, nighttime conditions have received scant attention. By incorporating more naturalistic nighttime lighting comparable in intensity to dim moonlight, we demonstrate that recovery after simulated jetlag is accelerated when nights are dimly lit rather than completely dark.
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Fonken, L. K., Kitsmiller, E., Smale, L., & Nelson, R. J. (2012). Dim nighttime light impairs cognition and provokes depressive-like responses in a diurnal rodent. J Biol Rhythms, 27(4), 319–327.
Abstract: Circadian disruption is a common by-product of modern life. Although jet lag and shift work are well-documented challenges to circadian organization, many more subtle environmental changes cause circadian disruption. For example, frequent fluctuations in the timing of the sleep/wake schedule, as well as exposure to nighttime lighting, likely affect the circadian system. Most studies of these effects have focused on nocturnal rodents, which are very different from diurnal species with respect to their patterns of light exposure and the effects that light can have on their activity. Thus, the authors investigated the effect of nighttime light on behavior and the brain of a diurnal rodent, the Nile grass rat. Following 3 weeks of exposure to standard light/dark (LD; 14:10 light [~150 lux] /dark [0 lux]) or dim light at night (dLAN; 14:10 light [~150 lux] /dim [5 lux]), rats underwent behavioral testing, and hippocampal neurons within CA1, CA3, and the dentate gyrus (DG) were examined. Three behavioral effects of dLAN were observed: (1) decreased preference for a sucrose solution, (2) increased latency to float in a forced swim test, and (3) impaired learning and memory in the Barnes maze. Light at night also reduced dendritic length in DG and basilar CA1 dendrites. Dendritic length in the DG positively correlated with sucrose consumption in the sucrose anhedonia task. Nighttime light exposure did not disrupt the pattern of circadian locomotor activity, and all grass rats maintained a diurnal activity pattern. Together, these data suggest that exposure to dLAN can alter affective responses and impair cognition in a diurnal animal.
Keywords: Analysis of Variance; Animals; CA1 Region, Hippocampal/cytology; CA3 Region, Hippocampal/cytology; Circadian Rhythm/*physiology; Cognition/*physiology/radiation effects; Corticosterone/blood; Dendrites/physiology/radiation effects; Dentate Gyrus/cytology; Depressive Disorder/*physiopathology; Food Preferences/physiology/radiation effects; Light; Male; Maze Learning/physiology/radiation effects; Motor Activity/physiology/radiation effects; Murinae/*physiology; Neurons/drug effects/physiology; *Photoperiod; Swimming/physiology
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