Nighttime light exposure during development has small effects on adult behavior and brain immune activity in mice

Exposure to dim light at night during critical developmental windows can influence neuroimmune function and behavior in mice.

• Juvenile mice exposed to dim light at night did not show changes in anxiety- or depressive-like behaviors.
• In adulthood, female mice exposed to dim light at night during adolescence displayed a modest anxiety-like behavior in one test.
• Both male and female mice exposed to dim light at night during adolescence exhibited depressive-like behavior in a forced swim test.
• Developmental exposure to dim light at night increased the hippocampal inflammatory response (IL-1β) in female mice after an immune challenge, but not in males.
• These findings suggest that female mice may be more vulnerable to the effects of developmental dim light at night on behavior and neuroimmune responses.

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