Molecular psychiatryMay 30, 2019

Brief exposure to low-level light at night may cause brain changes and depression-like behavior

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

Mice exposed to low-level light at night (LAN) for three consecutive nights exhibited increased depressive-like responses compared to those in dark nights.

LAN exposure is linked to increased depressive-like behaviors in adult male and female mice.
Female mice showed increased central tendency in open field tests when exposed to LAN.
Chronic LAN exposure was associated with decreased levels of a protein important for blood vessel growth in the brain.
In female mice, LAN exposure led to increased expression of specific genes related to inflammation and reduced brain growth factors.
LAN significantly disrupted normal circadian rhythms, affecting both activity and temperature regulation in the mice.

Simplified

The advent and wide-spread adoption of electric lighting over the past century has profoundly affected the circadian organization of physiology and behavior for many individuals in industrialized nations; electric lighting in homes, work environments, and public areas have extended daytime activities into the evening, thus, increasing night-time exposure to light. Although initially assumed to be innocuous, chronic exposure to light at night (LAN) is now associated with increased incidence of cancer, metabolic disorders, and affective problems in humans. However, little is known about potential acute effects of LAN. To determine whether acute exposure to low-level LAN alters brain function, adult male, and female mice were housed in either light days and dark nights (LD; 14 h of 150 lux:10 h of 0 lux) or light days and low level light at night (LAN; 14 h of 150 lux:10 h of 5 lux). Mice exposed to LAN on three consecutive nights increased depressive-like responses compared to mice housed in dark nights. In addition, female mice exposed to LAN increased central tendency in the open field. LAN was associated with reduced hippocampal vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) in both male and female mice, as well as increased VEGFR1 and interleukin-1β mRNA expression in females, and reduced brain derived neurotrophic factor mRNA in males. Further, LAN significantly altered circadian rhythms (activity and temperature) and circadian gene expression in female and male mice, respectively. Altogether, this study demonstrates that acute exposure to LAN alters brain physiology and can be detrimental to well-being in otherwise healthy individuals.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license.

View Full Text ↗

Brief exposure to low-level light at night may cause brain changes and depression-like behavior

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief