Kunal Shah

March 21, 2016

Biol 495-H02: Honors Seminar in Biology
Dr. Stanko & Dr. Fortune
Annotated Bibliography - The Effect of Artificial Light Exposure on Sleep,
Circadian Timing, and Human Health
1. Chang, A.-M., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2015).
Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep,
circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 112(4), 1232-1237. Retrieved from
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/4/1232.abstractN2
This study compares the biological effects of reading an electronic book on a
device that releases artificial short-wavelengthenriched light with the
effects of reading a printed book before sleeping. It shows that this artificial
light exposure suppresses melatonin production, delays the circadian clock,
and has other possible health implications.
2. Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2009). Effect of Light on Human Circadian
Physiology. Sleep Med Clin, 4(2), 165-177.
doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2009.01.004
This study occurred over a time period of 25 years and tested numerous
subjects, from their extensive testing the researchers were able to uncover
that short wavelength light (460nm) has a drastic affect on circadian rhythm
and melatonin production compared to other wavelengths. A majority of
light waves released by electronic screens fall within this wavelength range
so it is important to denote the effect that these wavelengths have on both
these biological methods.
3. Gooley, J. J., Chamberlain, K., Smith, K. A., Khalsa, S. B. S., Rajaratnam,
S. M. W., Van Reen, E., Lockley, S. W. (2011). Exposure to Room Light
before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin
Duration in Humans. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism, 96(3), E463-E472. doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2098
This study saw how before the bedtime, 8 hours of exposure of dim light
affected melatonin both in the onset of production and duration of the
production versus room light exposure. It shows that room light suppresses
melatonin levels and shortens the length of the melatonin production,
meaning the body thinks that nighttime is shorter than it actually is. This

means that artificial light exposure in the hours preceding bedtime could
have impacts on sleep, thermoregulation, blood pressure, and glucose
homeostasis.
4. Noguchi, H., & Sakaguchi, T. (1999). Effect of illuminance and color
temperature on lowering of physiological activity. Appl Human Sci,
18(4), 117-123.
This study highlights how low color temperature light is able to allow the
central nervous system to make a smooth transition from a state of high
activity to low activity, necessary for sleep. It also highlights how high color
temperature light does the opposite. This study helps show that low color
temperature light is ideal for a bedroom or other location of sleep when it is
necessary to lower the physiological activity of the body, specifically the
central nervous system.
5. Zeitzer, J. M., Dijk, D.-J., Kronauer, R. E., Brown, E. N., & Czeisler, C. A.
(2000). Sensitivity of the human circadian pacemaker to nocturnal
light: melatonin phase resetting and suppression. The Journal of
Physiology, 526(Pt 3), 695-702. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.00695.x
This study shows how the timing of the human circadian pacemaker can be
advanced through exposure to early morning room light. It also displays
how humans are extremely responsive to phase-delaying effects of light
during very late hours of the night. Also, it is demonstrated that there were
suppressive effects of light on melatonin production and a phase reset
occurred due to light exposure on subjects.
6. Stephen M. Pauley, Lighting for the human circadian clock: recent
research indicates that lighting has become a public health issue,
Medical Hypotheses, Volume 63, Issue 4, 2004, Pages 588-596, ISSN
0306-9877, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2004.03.020.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987704002336)
This study talks about how new studies are now showing an indirect link
between the exposure of light at night to shift workers and higher incidences
of breast cancer and colorectal cancers. The study mentions that more
research needs to be done regarding the subject matter in order to gain
more evidence about their relationship. Regardless, this paper is important
in the fact that it shows that it speaks about how light at night could possibly
have detrimental affects on human health.
7. Bonmati-Carrion MA, Arguelles-Prieto R, Martinez-Madrid MJ, et al.
Protecting the Melatonin Rhythm through Circadian Healthy Light

Exposure. Slominski A, ed. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

2014;15(12):23448-23500. doi:10.3390/ijms151223448.
This study talks about how healthy light exposure is necessary in order to
maintain a correct circadian rhythm and ensuring proper melatonin
production at night. It speaks about how in the daytime light in the 460480
nm should be used as this basically lets the body know it is daytime & at
nighttime all light exposure, especially in the 460480 nm range, should be
avoided in order for proper melatonin production & to ensure the circadian
clock doesnt get messed up. Furthermore, it speaks about the mechanisms
behind how the human circadian clock works, the mechanisms behind how
melatonin production is regulated, and how light exposure affects both of
these.
8. Lemola, S., Perkinson-Gloor, N., Brand, S., Dewald-Kaufmann, J. F., &
Grob, A. (2014). Adolescents Electronic Media Use at Night, Sleep
Disturbance, and Depressive Symptoms in the Smartphone Age.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(2), 405-418. doi:10.1007/s10964014-0176-x
This study also speaks about how there is a negative relationship between
electronic usage and sleep. The main difference in this study is that all the
subjects in the study are adolescents & it also focused on depression. The
study was able to see that smartphone ownership led to more electronic
media usage before bed and that it led to later bedtimes. They were able to
uncover a negative relationship between electronic usage and sleep duration
and a positive relationship with sleep difficulties which led to depressive
symptoms. I think its important to note how depressive symptoms were
caused by the sleep difficulties displaying how sleep deprivation can lead to
health problems.
9. Paul KN, Saafir TB, Tosini G. The role of retinal photoreceptors in the
regulation of circadian rhythms. Reviews in endocrine & metabolic
disorders. 2009;10(4):271-278. doi:10.1007/s11154-009-9120-x.
This study goes into the specifics of how retinal photoreceptors control
circadian rhythms and how they are related to melatonin production. It talks
about 3 specific photoreceptors in the retina, including melanopsin, that
communicate directly with the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus
which is the part of the brain that regulates circadian rhythm. It is also
important to mention that these receptors also communicate with other cells
throughout the body as well besides the suprachiasmatic nuclei. This study

will help me go into the specifics of the melanopsin receptors and how they
in turn control melatonin production as well as the circadian clock.
10.
Stevens RG, Brainard GC, Blask DE, Lockley SW, Motta ME.
Breast Cancer and Circadian Disruption from Electric Lighting in the
Modern World. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians. 2014;64(3):207-218.
doi:10.3322/caac.21218.
This study talks about how breast cancer could be a possible health
consequence of circadian disruption due to artificial light exposure. It
further speaks about how human breast cancer xenografts in rats had an
increase of growth when exposed to light at night. Even though this
research has not been done on humans yet, epidemiological studies display
how risk varies with shift workers, blind women, and how sleep duration
impacts the risk of breast cancer showing another health risk of artificial
light exposure at night.
11.
Peng Y, Wang W, Tan T, et al. Maternal sleep deprivation at
different stages of pregnancy impairs the emotional and cognitive
functions, and suppresses hippocampal long-term potentiation in the
offspring rats. Molecular Brain. 2016;9:17. doi:10.1186/s13041-0160197-3.
This study speaks about how when pregnant rats are sleep deprived serious
health problems can arise. The offspring of the sleep deprived rats
displayed impaired hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory,
and increased depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. This is another display
of how sleep deprivation can lead to adverse health effects.
12.
Ferrell JM, Chiang JYL. Circadian rhythms in liver metabolism and
disease. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. 2015;5(2):113-122.
doi:10.1016/j.apsb.2015.01.003.
This study talks about the effects that circadian disruption can have on the
liver function, diabetes, and metabolism. It goes into depth about the
specific pathways and mechanisms involved with circadian rhythm and the
liver, lipid breakdown, and bile salts. This is another health affect of sleep
deprivation and can help me go into more detail about the affects on health
due to affected sleep and circadian rhythms.
13.
Kohansieh M, Makaryus AN. Sleep Deficiency and Deprivation
Leading to Cardiovascular Disease. International Journal of
Hypertension. 2015;2015:615681. doi:10.1155/2015/615681.

This study talks about how sleep deprivation as well as circadian disruption
has been related to risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as
hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Even though the study
cannot provide a direct link between sleep deprivation and sleep deprivation
it is important to note the various health problems that it discusses due to
sleep being lost. This can also help supplement the part of my paper where I
talk about the various affects on human health due to sleep loss.
14.
Hasler BP, Soehner AM, Clark DB. Circadian rhythms and risk for
substance use disorders in adolescence. Current opinion in psychiatry.
2014;27(6):460-466. doi:10.1097/YCO.0000000000000107.
This article discusses how sleep deprivation and circadian disruption can
lead to increased substance in adolescents. I think this study is important
because it provides another aspect rather than just health problems related
to sleep deprivation and is another viewpoint that I can utilize in my paper to
describe exactly how bad sleep deprivation is for the body. It cites many
studies displaying how sleep problems and drug and/or alcohol abuse have a
direct correlation in adolescents.
15.
Holzman DC. Whats in a Color? The Unique Human Health
Effects of Blue Light. Environmental Health Perspectives.
2010;118(1):A22-A27.
This study talks about how blue light specifically affects human health. It
touches upon the subjects of how circadian rhythm is disrupted and also
talks about the role melanopsin retinal ganglion cells play in controlling
sleep, melatonin production, and circadian rhythm. It finally concludes by
compiling multiple experiments dealing with the affects of blue light on
human health. This paper is beneficial for focusing on the blue light that is
released by the artificial light that we use everyday, whether it be a screen
or room lighting.
16.
Cohen, D. A., Wang, W., Wyatt, J. K., Kronauer, R. E., Dijk, D.-J.,
Czeisler, C. A., & Klerman, E. B. (2010). Uncovering Residual Effects of
Chronic Sleep Loss on Human Performance. Science translational
medicine, 2(14), 14ra13-14ra13. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3000458
This study discuses how chronic sleep loss can lead to potential performance
decreases in humans. It talks about how subjects were noted having a
significant decrease in performance after being sleep deprived over
extended periods of time. It finishes off with concluding that extended wake
during the circadian night reveals the cumulative detrimental effects of

chronic sleep loss on performance, as well as potential adverse health and

safety consequences.
17.
Figueiro, M. G., Wood, B., Plitnick, B., & Rea, M. S. (2011). The
impact of light from computer monitors on melatonin levels in college
students. Neuro Endocrinol Lett, 32(2), 158-163.
This study is basically complementary to the research I am trying to write
about in my review paper, it discusses how computer monitors might affect
the melatonin levels in college students. The study had a positive control of
individuals wearing blue goggles, and a negative control of individuals
wearing orange goggles. Sadly, the results from the study were not
significant and this study cannot be used to bolster my argument, but it can
help me discuss some of the background information regarding the topic.
18.
Lockley, S. W., Brainard, G. C., & Czeisler, C. A. (2003). High
Sensitivity of the Human Circadian Melatonin Rhythm to Resetting by
Short Wavelength Light. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism, 88(9), 4502-4502. doi:doi:10.1210/jc.2003-030570
This study tested what wavelength the circadian pacemaker is most
sensitive to and discovered that the pacemaker was most sensitive
specifically to short wavelength light at around 450 nm. The study was able
to uncover that the affect of short wavelength light was 2 times more than
that of higher wavelengths. It successfully demonstrated that the human
circadian pacemaker is most sensitive to blue light compared to other colors.
19.
Rimmer, D. W., Boivin, D. B., Shanahan, T. L., Kronauer, R. E.,
Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2000). Dynamic resetting of the human
circadian pacemaker by intermittent bright light. American Journal of
Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology,
279(5), R1574-R1579.
Because many studies focus around studying the affect on humans of being
exposed to long durations of artificial light this study decided to take another
road and test how intermittent light exposure affects humans and their
circadian rhythms compared to a long duration of light exposure. The study
was able to uncover that recurrent bright light caused a response almost as
great as that of continuous bright light and also led to shifts in circadian
timing in humans. This test also concluded that humans have an enhanced
sensitivity to the initial brightness brought on by bright-light exposure.

20.
Saini, C., Suter, D. M., Liani, A., Gos, P., & Schibler, U. (2011). The
Mammalian Circadian Timing System: Synchronization of Peripheral
Clocks. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 76, 3947. doi:10.1101/sqb.2011.76.010918
This article discusses exactly how the mammalian circadian timing system
works. It goes into detail describing the specifics behind the circadian
pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus and
also discusses peripheral pacemakers located in various locations
throughout the body. This paper will mainly be used to help cover
background regarding the circadian pacemaker.