Midnight darkness and evening melatonin pre-treatment reverse night-light-induced neurobehavioural disruptions in a diurnal corvid

Nov 25, 2025Scientific reports

Darkness at midnight and evening melatonin may reverse the negative effects of night light on behavior in daytime-active crows.

AI simplified

Abstract

Dim light at night (, 6 lx) reduced nocturnal melatonin levels and negatively impacted multiple neurobehavioural traits in Indian house crows.

  • dLAN exposure disrupted circadian behavior, sleep, mood, and cognitive performance in the crows.
  • The mRNA expression of genes linked to neurogenesis, neuroinflammation, and epigenetic regulation was altered in brain regions associated with these behaviours.
  • A 2-hour dark period during dLAN partially restored some neurobehavioural functions.
  • Pre-treatment with 50 µg of melatonin 30 minutes before dLAN onset completely restored disrupted behaviours and gene expressions.

AI simplified

Key numbers

70%
Midnight Melatonin Level Increase
Melatonin levels elevated by a 2-hour midnight dark period under conditions.
100%
Cognitive Performance Recovery
Crows in the /melatonin group showed complete recovery in cognitive tests.
36
Sample Size
Total number of crows captured and studied in both experiments.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license. Use the link below to read it at the source.

what lands in your inbox each week:

  • 📚7 fresh studies
  • 📝plain-language summaries
  • direct links to original studies
  • 🏅top journal indicators
  • 📅weekly delivery
  • 🧘‍♂️always free