Randy Nelson
Neuroscience
How Light at Night May Darken Mood
The rate of major depression has increased in recent decades right along with another trend: growing exposure to light at night from our computers, televisions, smart phones and tablets. Randy Nelson will discuss evidence from recent human and rodent studies in his lab supporting the novel hypothesis that nighttime exposure to light disrupts our circadian clock, provokes inflammation in the central nervous system and contributes to depressed mood. He will discuss the complicated web of potential behavioral and physiological consequences resulting from exposure to light at night, as well as the large-scale medical and ecological implications that may result. Humans and other organisms have adapted to consistent and predictable 24-hour cycles, but over the past 130 years or so the widespread adoption of electric lights has dramatically transformed our environment. Work by Nelson and others shows that it is possible that exposure to light at night may disrupt not just circadian timing, but also mood. In previous studies in animals, Nelson found that light at night may also be linked to obesity and that the color of the light is important to its effects.
Nelson is a professor of neuroscience and psychology.
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