Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
1990-4-30
pubmed:abstractText
Bright light exposure has been found to alleviate the symptoms of recurrent winter depression in many patients. The mechanism of light therapy may involve shifts in the timing (phase) of circadian rhythms. In this study, morning light exposure (which shifts rhythms earlier) was compared with evening light exposure (which shifts rhythms later) in a double-blind, crossover design. The onset of melatonin secretion in the evening was measured under dim light conditions as a marker for circadian timing (phase) before and after each treatment. Eight patients with winter depression and five control subjects were studied. Morning light was found to be significantly better than evening light in reducing depressive symptoms. At baseline, there was a trend for the onset of melatonin production to be later in the patients than in the controls. Morning light shifted the melatonin onset significantly earlier in the patients but not the controls. Our findings suggest that patients with winter depression have circadian rhythms that are abnormally delayed and that bright light therapy benefits winter depression by providing a corrective advance.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0003-990X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
47
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
343-51
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1990
pubmed:articleTitle
Morning vs evening light treatment for winter depression. Evidence that the therapeutic effects of light are mediated by circadian phase shifts.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't