Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare pupil responses in depressed patients with a seasonal pattern, depressed patients without a seasonal pattern and healthy controls as a function of daylight hours on the testing day.
METHOD: Patients suffering from a major depressive episode were included in wintertime. The pupil light reflex was measured at inclusion and in the following summer using a binocular pupillometer. A protocol of low (1 lux) and high (400 lux) intensity red and blue lights was used to assess rod, cone and melanopsin-containing intrinsic photosensitive retinal ganglion cell input to the pupil reflex.
RESULTS: The mean group pupil responses associated with a melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil response at 400 lux blue light were significantly reduced in the depressed subjects (N = 39) as compared to the healthy controls (N = 24) (P = 0.023). Across all groups, a reduction in number of daylight hours was significantly associated with a reduction in sustained pupil response (P = 0.007). All groups showed an equal effect of daylight hours on the melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil response.
CONCLUSION: The melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil contraction to offset of high-intensity blue light is reduced in depressed patients. These results further emphasize the interaction of light exposure with depression.
Original language | English |
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Book series | Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum |
Volume | 137 |
Issue number | 3 |
Pages (from-to) | 231-240 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 0065-1591 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Keywords
- major depressive disorder
- melanopsin
- pupil reflex
- retinal ganglion cells
- seasonal affective disorder