Light therapy has long been used for the treatment of seasonal affective disorders (SAD), characterized by depressive symptoms, in particular in the autumn and winter, when the amount of natural light decreases. However, recently Swiss scientists have conducted a new study that reveals an interesting feature of this method: it turned out that light therapy is much more effective if used in the morning and not in the evening.
In the course of experiments on laboratory mice, scientists have found that the antidepressive effect of light therapy is achieved when therapy is performed two hours before dawn. This discovery was made by monitoring the behavior of mice after lighting sessions at different times of the day.
The participants of the experiment - mice - were given light therapy at night, at different intervals, and then evaluated their mood and behavioral reactions. The results showed that only therapy, which was carried out several hours before dawn, had a positive effect on behavior, similar to mood improvement. In other cases, there was no result.
The key factor that determines the effectiveness of light therapy was the Period1 , which plays an important role in regulating circadian rhythms. This gene is activated under the influence of light, which helps to improve mood and reduce depression symptoms. Researchers have also found that the removal of the Period1 gene from the mice completely eliminates the positive effect of light therapy.
This discovery indicates that the activation of the PERIOD1 is important to achieve antidepressive effect of light therapy. It is because of this mechanism that light in the morning can help people suffering from seasonal affective disorder, improve mood and reduce depression symptoms.
Finding the optimal time for light therapy opens up new opportunities for treating SAD. If the results of the study are confirmed by people, it will allow you to use more accurately the methods of light therapy to combat seasonal depression, which are becoming more relevant in the autumn and winter.
This study also emphasizes the importance of taking into account biological rhythms in the development of therapeutic methods and can be the basis for further scientific research in the field of psychiatry and psychotherapy.
