Dim light makes it dumber, and flickering with the desired frequency heals Alzheimer's
Prolonged exposure to poorly lit rooms changes the structure of the brain, reduces learning ability and impairs memory. Neuroscientists at the University of Michigan have figured this out with mouse experiments: a group of animals that received little light for a month lost 30% of the capacity of the hippocampus responsible for the transition of short-term memory to long-term memory. Turn on the light brighter.
Researchers at the University of Michigan used Nilot herbal mice to experiment with the effects of light on the brain. Like humans, these mice are daytime and sleep at night. Animals were divided into two groups. The first group was subjected to the influence of dim light, and the second light was more than enough. As a result, the scientists found out that the mice from the first group lost 30% of the capacity of the hippocampus and did not fulfill their spatial task poorly. Mice from the second group performed this task with ease. Fortunately, the process turned out to be reversible: four weeks of bright light after a month's break - and the first group fully restored their abilities.
This is the first study that showed structural changes in the brain depending on the light regime. The inability of mice exposed to dim light to solve a spatial problem is similar to how people after a movie theater or a long shopping trip cannot find their car in the parking lot. Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors.
Sustained exposure to dim light led to a significant reduction in the neurotrophic factor of the brain - a protein that stimulates the development of neurons. BDNF protein increases the number and differentiation of new neurons and synapses, it is active in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and the forebrain, that is, in the areas responsible for learning and memory. When there is a lack of light, the body produces less of this protein, with the result that fewer neurons and synapses between them are produced in the hippocampus.
Light acts on other areas of the brain before the production of BDNF in the hippocampus is inhibited. A team of researchers tested another area of the brain that could affect these processes - the hypothalamus. It produces peptide orexin , which affects various functions of the brain. Scientists face the question: if mice are given orexin, will their brain recover without a normal light regime?
The answer to this question may open up new opportunities for the treatment of patients with glaucoma, people with retinal degeneration and cognitive impairment. “In the case of people with eye diseases, can we directly manipulate this group of neurons to provide them with the benefits of bright light?” Another possibility is to improve cognitive function in the elderly and people with neurological disorders. Can we help them restore their functions or prevent their further decline? ”Says Lily Yang, the head of a research project.
Light can also affect brain degenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's disease, large deposits of beta-amyloid are formed in the neurons of the brain. To reduce the impact of the disease is possible, if you reduce the production of these proteins. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology did this by stimulating the hippocampus at 40 Hz for an hour. Light impulses that, as part of the experiment, were fed directly to the brain of mice via fiber, helped to generate brain gamma rhythms that are disturbed in Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, beta-amyloid production decreased by 40-50%. Since people in the hospital to introduce fiber into the brain is not the best idea, scientists have tried to find another method. It turned out that gamma rhythms can be corrected using LEDs. In mice that participated in this experiment, not only did the amount of beta-amyloid decrease, but the existing amyloid plaques also decreased. In the brain, with the correct gamma rhythms, mechanisms were activated that themselves eliminated deposits.
Researchers at the University of Michigan used Nilot herbal mice to experiment with the effects of light on the brain. Like humans, these mice are daytime and sleep at night. Animals were divided into two groups. The first group was subjected to the influence of dim light, and the second light was more than enough. As a result, the scientists found out that the mice from the first group lost 30% of the capacity of the hippocampus and did not fulfill their spatial task poorly. Mice from the second group performed this task with ease. Fortunately, the process turned out to be reversible: four weeks of bright light after a month's break - and the first group fully restored their abilities.
This is the first study that showed structural changes in the brain depending on the light regime. The inability of mice exposed to dim light to solve a spatial problem is similar to how people after a movie theater or a long shopping trip cannot find their car in the parking lot. Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors.
Sustained exposure to dim light led to a significant reduction in the neurotrophic factor of the brain - a protein that stimulates the development of neurons. BDNF protein increases the number and differentiation of new neurons and synapses, it is active in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and the forebrain, that is, in the areas responsible for learning and memory. When there is a lack of light, the body produces less of this protein, with the result that fewer neurons and synapses between them are produced in the hippocampus.
Light acts on other areas of the brain before the production of BDNF in the hippocampus is inhibited. A team of researchers tested another area of the brain that could affect these processes - the hypothalamus. It produces peptide orexin , which affects various functions of the brain. Scientists face the question: if mice are given orexin, will their brain recover without a normal light regime?
The answer to this question may open up new opportunities for the treatment of patients with glaucoma, people with retinal degeneration and cognitive impairment. “In the case of people with eye diseases, can we directly manipulate this group of neurons to provide them with the benefits of bright light?” Another possibility is to improve cognitive function in the elderly and people with neurological disorders. Can we help them restore their functions or prevent their further decline? ”Says Lily Yang, the head of a research project.
Light can also affect brain degenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's disease, large deposits of beta-amyloid are formed in the neurons of the brain. To reduce the impact of the disease is possible, if you reduce the production of these proteins. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology did this by stimulating the hippocampus at 40 Hz for an hour. Light impulses that, as part of the experiment, were fed directly to the brain of mice via fiber, helped to generate brain gamma rhythms that are disturbed in Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, beta-amyloid production decreased by 40-50%. Since people in the hospital to introduce fiber into the brain is not the best idea, scientists have tried to find another method. It turned out that gamma rhythms can be corrected using LEDs. In mice that participated in this experiment, not only did the amount of beta-amyloid decrease, but the existing amyloid plaques also decreased. In the brain, with the correct gamma rhythms, mechanisms were activated that themselves eliminated deposits.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/410231/