EFFECTS OF LIGHT INTERVENTIONS IN SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

我们之前已经在四个不同的成年患者组中显示， 季节性情感障碍（SAD），使这些患者暴露于明亮的 全光谱的光在早上和晚上各持续3小时， 或在晚上单独服用5小时， 方面的影响. 在过去的一年里，我们研究了抗抑郁作用是否 是通过光周期介导的，即，他们是否依赖于 正常的日照长度或是否会发生，即使光暴露 发生在正常的白天 我们治疗了7例SAD住院患者 在交叉设计中，包括两个1周的光照操作， 一周不开灯 这两个照明操作都涉及2个3小时 明亮（2500勒克斯）的光照周期，间隔2小时的昏暗 光（短骨骼光周期）或9小时暗光（长骨骼 光周期）。 根据动物研究，我们预测后者将 对我们的病人有抗抑郁作用，但前者不会。 事实上，我们发现治疗方案同样有效， 会反对抗抑郁药的光周期机制 明亮的环境光对SAD的影响。 我们与阿拉斯加州费尔班克斯的卡拉·赫勒克森博士合作， 在6例SAD患者中，早晨两小时明亮光线， 晚上有两个小时的明亮光线，两个小时的明亮光线被分开。 在早晨和晚上的治疗效果都是一样的 SAD患者 在一项非对照研究中，我们发现增加环境光照 在6名儿童和青少年中有显著的抗抑郁作用， 伤心. 在进一步的研究中，我们将继续探索 在SAD中的光治疗。

We have previously shown in four separate groups of adult patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that exposing these patients to bright full-spectrum light for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening, or for 5 hours in the evening alone, produces marked antidepressant effects. In this past year we examined whether the antidepressant effects are mediated via the photoperiod, i.e., whether they depend on extending the normal daylength or whether they will occur even if the light exposure takes place within normal daylight hours. We treated 7 inpatients with SAD in a crossover design involving two 1-week light manipulations separated by a week off lights. The 2 lighting manipulations both involved 2 3-hour periods of bright (2500 lux) light, separated either by 2 hours of dim light (short skeleton photoperiod) or 9 hours of dim light (long skeleton photoperiod). Based on animal studies we predicted that the latter would have antidepressant effects in our patients but that the former would not. In fact, we found the treatment schedules to be equally efficacious, which would argue against a photoperiodic mechanism for the antidepressant effects of bright environmental light in SAD. We collaborated with Dr. Carla Hellekson in Fairbanks, Alaska, who showed in 6 patients with SAD that two hours of bright light in the morning, two hours of bright light in the evening, and two hours f bright light divided equally between morning and evening were all equally effective in treating patients with SAD. In an uncontrolled study we showed that increasing the environmental light had significant antidepressant effects in 6 children and adolescents with SAD. In further studies we are continuing to explore the formal properties of light treatment in SAD.