ArticleJournal of biological rhythms2013
Dim light at night disrupts molecular circadian rhythms and increases body weight.
Article in Journal of biological rhythms, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 152 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
152 citing papers in PubMed, 302 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blue Light Exposure During Sleep in Type 1 Diabetes: Impacts on Glycemic Control and Psychosocial Health.Journal of sleep research · 2026Trial
- Chronic exposure to artificial light at night dampens rhythms in locomotor activity, metabolism, and sleep in female mice.Physiology & behavior · 2026Article
- Exposure to Dim Light at Night Impairs Photoperiodic and Metabolic Gene Expression in Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2026Article
- Brighter nights, greater health risks: intensity-dependent disruptions by nighttime light exposure on sleep and metabolism in diurnal zebra finches.Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Life Cycle and Circadian Rhythms in Central Resident Immunity and Neuropsychiatric Pathology.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Review
- Cardiovascular risks and hazards associated with deep space exploration.Communications medicine · 2026Review
- Short- and Long-Term Chrono-Immune Consequences of Dim Light at Night Exposure in Male Mice at Different Life Stages.Clocks & sleep · 2026Article
- Association between bedroom nighttime light pollution and risk of hepatic encephalopathy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a prospective cohort study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Diurnal Light Exposure and Rest-Activity Rhythms in Relation to MASLD: Insights From 2 Nationwide Cohort Studies.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2026Article
- Is it time to think about chronotherapy in migraine.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026Review
- Metaplastic sleep regulation inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Obesity mediates the association of outdoor artificial light at night with type 2 diabetes mellitus.iScience · 2026Article
- Bright light exposure suppresses feeding and weight gain via a visual circuit linked to the lateral hypothalamus.Nature neuroscience · 2026Article
- Influence of Artificial Light at Night on Thyroid Gland Histology inAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Retinal light perception and biological rhythms: The role of light in sleep and mood from an ophthalmic perspective (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Associations of meal timing and sleep timing with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea in Japanese women: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Exploring the Effects of Blue Light on Circadian Rhythm in SD Rat.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Association between indoor light at night and obesity among children and adolescents at different physical activity levels: a population-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Effects of air and light pollution on brain and behavioral function: Potential synergy.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2025Review
92 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
With the exception of high latitudes, life has evolved under bright days and dark nights. Most organisms have developed endogenously driven circadian rhythms that are synchronized to this daily light/dark cycle. In recent years, humans have shifted away from the naturally occurring solar light cycle in favor of artificial and sometimes irregular light schedules produced by electric lighting. Exposure to unnatural light cycles is increasingly associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome; however, the means by which environmental lighting alters metabolism are poorly understood. Thus, we exposed mice to dim light at night and investigated changes in the circadian system and metabolism. Here we report that exposure to ecologically relevant levels of dim (5 lux) light at night altered core circadian clock rhythms in the hypothalamus at both the gene and protein level. Circadian rhythms in clock expression persisted during light at night; however, the amplitude of Per1 and Per2 rhythms was attenuated in the hypothalamus. Circadian oscillations were also altered in peripheral tissues critical for metabolic regulation. Exposure to dimly illuminated, as compared to dark, nights decreased the rhythmic expression in all but one of the core circadian clock genes assessed in the liver. Additionally, mice exposed to dim light at night attenuated Rev-Erb expression in the liver and adipose tissue. Changes in the circadian clock were associated with temporal alterations in feeding behavior and increased weight gain. These results are significant because they provide evidence that mild changes in environmental lighting can alter circadian and metabolic function. Detailed analysis of temporal changes induced by nighttime light exposure may provide insight into the onset and progression of obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as other disorders involving sleep and circadian rhythm disruption.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.