EFFECTS OF LIGHT INTERVENTIONS IN SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

我们之前已经在四组不同的成人患者中显示了 季节性情感障碍(SAD)使这些患者暴露在光明中 早上3小时和晚上3小时的全光谱光， 或仅在晚上5个小时，就会产生显著的抗抑郁药物 效果。在过去的一年里，我们检查了抗抑郁药物的效果 是通过光周期来调节的，即它们是否依赖于延伸 正常的日长，或者即使在光照下它们是否会发生 发生在正常的白天时间。我们治疗了7名SAD住院患者 在涉及两个1周的光操作的交叉设计中， 停电一周。这两个照明操作都需要2个3小时 明亮的(2500勒克斯)光周期，被2小时的昏暗隔开 光照(短骨骼光周期)或9小时的暗光(长骨骼 光周期)。基于动物研究，我们预测后者会 在我们的患者中有抗抑郁作用，但前者不会。 事实上，我们发现治疗方案同样有效， 会反对抗抑郁剂的光周期机制 亮环境光在SAD中的作用。 我们与阿拉斯加州费尔班克斯的Carla Hellekson博士合作，他展示了 在6名SAD患者中，早上两个小时的明亮光线，两个 晚上有几个小时的强光，分开两个小时的强光 在早晨和晚上都同样有效地治疗 患有SAD的患者。 在一项不受控制的研究中，我们表明增加环境光 在6名患有抑郁症的儿童和青少年中有显著的抗抑郁效果 悲伤的。在进一步的研究中，我们将继续探索形式性质 光治疗在SAD中的作用。

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.