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Artificial night illumination disrupts sleep, and attenuates mood and learning in diurnal animals: evidence from behavior and gene expression studies in zebra finches
Artificial Night Light Disturbs Sleep, Mood, and Learning in Day-Active Animals: Evidence from Behavior and Gene Activity in Zebra Finches
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Abstract
Exposing zebra finches to illuminated nights for 6 weeks resulted in decreased sleep duration and impaired cognitive performance.
- Birds exposed to dim light at night experienced frequent awakenings during nocturnal hours.
- Novel object exploration, indicating mood state, was compromised in the dim light conditions.
- Performance on a color-discrimination learning task was significantly poorer, with longer learning times and low retrieval success.
- Reduced expression of genes related to brain development and motivation was observed in key brain regions under dim light exposure.
- Negative behavioral and molecular effects were associated with illuminated nights, suggesting potential impacts on sleep and mental health.
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