Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30244030›Full record

ReviewHormones and behavior2019

Light as a modulator of emotion and cognition: Lessons learned from studying a diurnal rodent.

Lily Yan, Joseph S Lonstein, Antonio A Nunez

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Hormones and behavior, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. The Effects of Light on Vertebrate Welfare: A Review.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lily YanDepartment of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: yanl@msu.edu.
Joseph S LonsteinDepartment of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Antonio A NunezDepartment of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Funding

Neural Basis of Light-dependent Depression and AnxietyR01MH111276 · NIMH · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI LONSTEIN, JOSEPH S, YAN, LILY · 2016 to 2020
$1.9M
Shedding light on orexinergic modulation of the hippocampusR21NS098173 · NINDS · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI YAN, LILY · 2017 to 2018
$528k
Neural Basis for SAD: Development of a Diurnal Rodent ModelR03MH093760 · NIMH · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI YAN, LILY · 2012 to 2013
$145k
NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH111276NIMH NIH HHS R03 MH093760NINDS NIH HHS R21 NS098173
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Light profoundly affects the behavior and physiology of almost all animals, including humans. One such effect in humans is that the level of illumination during the day positively contributes to affective well-being and cognitive function. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of daytime light intensity on affect and cognition are poorly understood. One barrier for progress in this area is that almost all laboratory animal models studied are nocturnal. There are substantial differences in how light affects nocturnal and diurnal species, e.g., light induces sleep in nocturnal mammals but wakefulness in diurnal ones, like humans. Therefore, the mechanisms through which light modulates affect and cognition must differ between the chronotypes. To further understand the neural pathways mediating how ambient light modulates affect and cognition, our recent work has developed a diurnal rodent model, the Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), in which daytime light intensity is chronically manipulated in grass rats housed under the same 12:12 hour light/dark cycle. This simulates lighting conditions during summer-like bright sunny days vs. winter-like dim cloudy days. Our work has revealed that chronic dim daylight intensity results in higher depression- and anxiety-like behaviors, as well as impaired spatial learning and memory. Furthermore, we have found that hypothalamic orexin is a mediator of these effects. A better understanding of how changes in daytime light intensity impinge upon the neural substrates involved in affect and cognition will lead to novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for seasonal affective disorder, as well as for non-seasonal emotional or cognitive impairments associated with light deficiency.

Indexed as

LightAnimalsAnxietyCircadian RhythmCognitionDepressive DisorderEmotionsHypothalamusMurinaePhotoperiodRatsSpatial LearningAmbient lightAnimal modelAnxietyDepressionDiurnalNocturnalSeasonal affective disorderSpatial learningSpatial memory

Identifiers

PMID30244030
PMCPMC6456444

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.