ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF LIGHT IN WINTER SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

以往的研究的疗效，光疗法的冬季季节性 情感障碍（SAD）已经利用了灯箱，虽然， 有效和安全，是笨重的，并且有时是不方便的。 一 已经发明了头戴式便携式光传输系统， 由NIMH校内项目的研究人员开发， 杰斐逊医学院试图找到一个更方便的光 治疗源。 去年冬天，我们参加了第三届 该器械多年来的多中心临床试验。 最新 研究未作为与Bio-Brite，Inc.的CRADA的一部分进行。的 贝塞斯达，医学博士，遮阳板的制造商，虽然该公司没有 免费提供遮阳板。 在之前的两项研究中，我们发现， 广泛变化的强度（从60到5000勒克斯）。 尽管所有 治疗似乎是相当有效的，问题仍然是， 这种效应是否仅仅是由于安慰剂效应或特定的 效果也是。 为了解决这个问题，我们进行了第三项研究， 其中一个非常昏暗（30勒克斯）的红色遮阳板，我们预测将发挥作用， 仅作为安慰剂，与稍微明亮（600勒克斯）的白色 在来自2个中心（NIMH， Bethesda，MD和McLean Hospital，贝尔蒙特，MA）被随机分配至 使用30勒克斯红色遮阳板或600勒克斯白色遮阳板进行治疗。 每天早晨给药30分钟，持续2周。 使用严格响应的两种visor的总体响应率 标准，约为40%。 因此，我们预测调光器 遮阳板将比更明亮的一个更有效的是没有得到证实。 对这一发现的可能解释进行了讨论。

Previous studies of the efficacy of light therapy for winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) have utilized light boxes, which, though effective and safe, are cumbersome and, at times, inconvenient. A head-mounted, portable light delivery system has been invented and developed by researchers in the Intramural Program of the NIMH and at Jefferson Medical College in an attempt to find a more convenient light treatment source. This past winter, we participated in the third multicenter clinical trial of this device in as many years. The latest study was not performed as part of a CRADA with Bio-Brite, Inc. of Bethesda, MD, the manufacturer of the visor, though the company did provide the visors without charge. In the two earlier studies, we found no difference between visors of widely varying intensities (from 60 to 5000 lux). Although all treatments appeared to be fairly effective, the question remained as to whether this effect was due solely to the placebo effect or to specific effects as well. To address this question, we undertook a third study, in which a very dim (30 lux) red visor, which we predicted would function only as a placebo, was compared to a somewhat brighter (600 lux) white visor in a parallel design in 57 patients with SAD from 2 centers (NIMH, Bethesda, MD and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA) were assigned randomly to treatments with either a 30-lux red visor or a 600-lux white visor. Treatments were administered for 30 minutes each morning for 2 weeks. The overall response rate for both visors, using stringent response criteria, was approximately 40%. Thus, our prediction that the dimmer visor would be more effective than the brighter one was not confirmed. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed.