Impact of daytime spectral tuning on cognitive function

Light at night can improve alertness and cognition. Exposure to daytime light, however, has yielded less conclusive results. In addition to direct effects, daytime light may also mitigate the impact of nocturnal light exposure on alertness. To examine the impact of daytime lighting on daytime cognit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology Biology, 2022-05, Vol.230, p.112439-112439, Article 112439
Main Authors: Lok, Renske, Joyce, Daniel S., Zeitzer, Jamie M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alertness
Circadian
Circadian Rhythm
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Daytime
Evening
Exposure
Fluorescence
Human
Humans
Light
Lighting
Melanopsin
Memory
Sleep
White light
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Summary:Light at night can improve alertness and cognition. Exposure to daytime light, however, has yielded less conclusive results. In addition to direct effects, daytime light may also mitigate the impact of nocturnal light exposure on alertness. To examine the impact of daytime lighting on daytime cognitive performance, and evening alertness, we studied nine healthy individuals using a within subject crossover design. On four visits, participants were exposed to one of four lighting conditions for 10 h (dim fluorescent, room fluorescent, broad-spectrum LED, standard white LED; the latter three conditions were matched for 100 lx) followed by an exposure to bright evening light. Cognitive performance, subjective and objective measures of alertness were regularly obtained. While daytime alertness was not impacted by light exposure, the broad-spectrum LED light improved several aspects of daytime cognition. The impact of evening light on alertness was not mitigated by the pre-exposure to different daytime lighting conditions. Results suggest that daytime exposure to white light with high melanopic efficacy has the potential to improve daytime cognitive function and that such improvements are likely to be direct rather than a consequence of light-induced changes in alertness. •Daytime exposure to broad-spectrum light improves cognitive performance.•Light-induced improvement in cognition are not dependent on changes in alertness.•Cognitive enhancing impact of daytime light is consistent with mediation by melanopsin.
ISSN:1011-1344
1873-2682
DOI:10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2022.112439