How light affects brain function

Dim lighting not only affects mood, but also reduces the ability to perceive, process and remember information. American scientists came to this conclusion by conducting an experiment on mice. Is this true and that in the short winter days it will help improve brain activity, a medical psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences Artur Timofeev told Moskovskaya Pravda.

Researchers from Michigan State University experiment on grass mice, exposing them to bright and dim light, simulating summer and winter lighting, and then observing how they cope with the maze. It turned out that in rodents that were in dim light, the connections of neurons in the hippocampus of the brain, which is responsible for “operational” memory, decreased by almost 30%. Mood and cognitive impairments were also noted in the subjects.

– The fact that sunlight – that is, full spectrum light, from infrared to ultraviolet – is extremely important for human physical and mental health, has been known for a long time, and periodically scientists receive new data that clarify what else and how exactly light affects, Artur Timofeev says – As shown in the experiment of American colleagues, mice that do not receive light have worsened their memory. More precisely, when light is not received, for some reason, the efficiency of the hippocampus decreases, which is involved in translating short-term memory into long-term memory and plays an important role in remembering the area. Apparently, therefore, a maze was chosen as a test for mice. From this experiment, we can only judge the effect of light on spatial memory.

However, it would be an exaggeration to say that cognitive functions improve in summer, when daylight hours are long, and worsen in winter.

– I’m exaggerating, but if it were such a simple dependence, then geniuses would live in the warm and sunny regions of the planet, and stupid people would live in cold and dimly lit regions. But reality itself tells us that this is not so, the psychologist notes.

By the way, for those who like to work in dim lighting, there is nothing to worry about their cognitive functions either.

“If a person is comfortable working in low light indoors, this most likely indicates that his nervous system has a sufficient internal level of activation and does not often need additional help,” the expert explains.

However, a person still needs sunlight in sufficient quantities. After all, many studies have already confirmed that it affects the production of vitamin D and melatonin. And some scientists claim that the light of the sun also helps the production of serotonin and beta-endorphins.

– Thus, we rather do not need sunlight directly, but in those substances that we receive with its help. I am sure that the list of substances for which light is needed will be replenished more than once, – Artur Timofeev believes.

But even with the current knowledge, we can now help ourselves to survive the winter easier. Our expert gave some advice on how to regulate brain activity without the help of pharmacological agents.

1. Physical exercise. It’s no secret that physical activity also gives an impetus to our body to produce natural “antidepressants”. At the same time, blood flow is accelerated, and, accordingly, metabolic processes in the nervous system.
2. Dream. Normally it takes 7-9 hours. During this time, the body has time to recover. But the lack or excess of sleep leads to a decrease in activity, including mental activity.
3. Diverse food. A balanced diet will help you avoid any nutrient deficiencies. And the lack of many of them immediately impairs brain function.
4. And of course, mental activity is very important. Because if we use our brain a little, then it quickly loses its “shape”.

Alena Bodrienko.

Photo by Sergey Kiselyov / Moskva agency