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Under a cloud -- darkness linked to 'brain drain'
in depressed people
A lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function
among depressed people. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open
access journal Environmental Health used weather data from NASA
satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and
linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in
depressed people. |
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Shia Kent, from the University of
Alabama at Birmingham, led a team of US researchers who used
cross-sectional data from 14,474 people in the NIH-NINDS-funded REGARDS
study, a longitudinal study investigating stroke incidence and risk
factors, to study associations between depression, cognitive function
and sunlight. He said, "We found that among participants with
depression, low exposure to sunlight was associated with a significantly
higher predicted probability of cognitive impairment. This relationship
remained significant after adjustment for season. This new finding that
weather may not only affect mood, but also cognition, has significant
implications for the treatment of depression, particularly seasonal
affective disorder".
Kent and his colleagues speculate that
the physiological mechanisms that give rise to seasonal depression may
also be involved in sunlight's effect on cognitive function in the
context of depressive symptoms. Cognitive function was assessed by
measurement of short-term recall and temporal orientation. As well as
regulating the hormones serotonin and melatonin, light has been shown to
also affect brain blood flow, which has in turn been linked with
cognitive functions. The researchers write, "Discovering the
environment's impact on cognitive functioning within the context of
seasonal disorders may lead not only to better understanding of the
disorders, but also to the development of targeted interventions to
enhance everyday functioning and quality of life".
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