Dim light at night impairs recovery from global cerebral ischemia.

Dim light at night impairs recovery from global cerebral ischemia.
Exp Neurol. 2019 Feb 26;:
Authors: Fonken LK, Bedrosian TA, Zhang N, Weil ZM, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ
Abstract
Nighttime lighting is one of the great conveniences of modernization; however, there is mounting evidence that inopportune light exposure can disrupt physiological and behavioral functions. Hospital patients may be particularly vulnerable to the consequences of light at night due to their compromised physiological state. Cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA) was used to test the hypothesis in mice that exposure to dim light at night impairs central nervous system (CNS) recovery from a major pathological insult. Mice exposed to dim light at night (5 lx) had higher mortality in the week following cardiac arrest compared to mice housed in dark nights (0 lx). Neuronal damage was significantly greater in surviving mice exposed to dim light at night after CA versus those housed in dark nights. Dim light at night may have elevated neuronal damage by amplifying pro-inflammatory pathways in the CNS; Iba1 immunoreactivity (an indication of microglia activation) and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were elevated in mice exposed to dim light at night post-CA. Furthermore, selective inhibition of IL-1β or TNFα ameliorated damage in mice exposed to dim light at night. The effects of light at night on CA outcomes were also prevented by using a wavelength...

Source: Experimental Neurology - February 25, 2019 Category: Neurology Authors: Fonken LK, Bedrosian TA, Zhang N, Weil ZM, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research