Darkness while we sleep might turn out to be essential in avoiding depression and other mood disorders. As little as the glow of a television in your room at night might be enough to prompt changes in the brain, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego. In a study of hamsters, one group was exposed to daylight for 16 hours and darkness for 8 hours, while a second group was exposed 16 hours of daylight and dim light (the intensity of a TV screen in a darkened room) for 8 hours. After eight weeks, hamsters in the second group no longer engaged in behaviours they would normally enjoy - a sign of depression. The research may be on to something, such as explaining why night-shift workers and others constantly exposed to light are a greater risk of mood disorders. Details on
LiveScience via
io9.
