In a Heartbeat: Light and Cardiovascular Physiology.
In a Heartbeat: Light and Cardiovascular Physiology.
Light impinging on the retina fulfils a dual function: it serves for vision and it is required for proper entrainment of the endogenous circadian timing system to the 24-h day, thus influencing behaviors that promote health and optimal quality of life but are independent of image formation. The circadian pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei modulates the cardiovascular system with an intrinsic ability to anticipate morning solar time and with a circadian nature of adverse cardiovascular events. Here, we infer that light exposure might affect cardiovascular function and provide evidence from existing research. Findings show a time-of-day dependent increase in relative sympathetic tone associated with bright light in the morning but not in the evening hours. Furthermore, dynamic light in the early morning hours can reduce the deleterious sleep-to-wake evoked transition on cardiac modulation. On the contrary, effects of numerous light parameters, such as illuminance level and wavelength of monochromatic light, on cardiac function are mixed. Therefore, in future research studies, light modalities, such as timing, duration, and its wavelength composition, should be taken in to account when testing the potential of light as a non-invasive countermeasure for adverse cardiovascular events.
Chellappa, Sarah L.
516582b5-3cba-4644-86c9-14c91a4510f2
Lasauskaite, Ruta
8b325342-30c7-430c-853a-c1e5270328d0
Cajochen, Christian
f605e720-e417-45dc-9b5c-244b1a1d6265
20 October 2017
Chellappa, Sarah L.
516582b5-3cba-4644-86c9-14c91a4510f2
Lasauskaite, Ruta
8b325342-30c7-430c-853a-c1e5270328d0
Cajochen, Christian
f605e720-e417-45dc-9b5c-244b1a1d6265
Chellappa, Sarah L., Lasauskaite, Ruta and Cajochen, Christian
(2017)
In a Heartbeat: Light and Cardiovascular Physiology.
Frontiers in Neurology, 8, [541].
(doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00541).
Abstract
Light impinging on the retina fulfils a dual function: it serves for vision and it is required for proper entrainment of the endogenous circadian timing system to the 24-h day, thus influencing behaviors that promote health and optimal quality of life but are independent of image formation. The circadian pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei modulates the cardiovascular system with an intrinsic ability to anticipate morning solar time and with a circadian nature of adverse cardiovascular events. Here, we infer that light exposure might affect cardiovascular function and provide evidence from existing research. Findings show a time-of-day dependent increase in relative sympathetic tone associated with bright light in the morning but not in the evening hours. Furthermore, dynamic light in the early morning hours can reduce the deleterious sleep-to-wake evoked transition on cardiac modulation. On the contrary, effects of numerous light parameters, such as illuminance level and wavelength of monochromatic light, on cardiac function are mixed. Therefore, in future research studies, light modalities, such as timing, duration, and its wavelength composition, should be taken in to account when testing the potential of light as a non-invasive countermeasure for adverse cardiovascular events.
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Published date: 20 October 2017
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Local EPrints ID: 479572
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479572
ISSN: 1664-2295
PURE UUID: 40c268f8-8659-4351-824b-4d6b09467d09
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Date deposited: 26 Jul 2023 16:38
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:20
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Author:
Sarah L. Chellappa
Author:
Ruta Lasauskaite
Author:
Christian Cajochen
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