OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia. DESIGN: A cluster-unit crossover intervention trial involving four lighting conditions: morning bright light, evening bright light, all-day bright light, and standard light. SETTING: The common areas of two geriatric units in a state-operated psychiatric hospital in North Carolina and in a dementia-specific residential care facility in Oregon. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six older adults with dementia. INTERVENTION: Ambient bright light therapy was delivered through a high-intensity, low-glare lighting system installed in the public areas of study units at both sites. Each lighting condition was provided for multiple 3-week periods in a predetermined sequence. MEASUREMENTS: Staff caregivers completed the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) in the last week of each 3-week period to provide information about participants' moods. RESULTS: Analysis indicated a sex-by-treatment interaction (P=.008). Significant sex differences were found in CSDD scores in response to evening light (P=.003), all-day light (P=.001), and standard light (P</=.001). Depressive symptoms were lowest for women and highest for men during morning light. CONCLUSION: Findings do not support the use of ambient bright light therapy as a treatment for depressive symptoms in persons with dementia, although a subpopulation of persons with dementia may benefit from this intervention. It is likely that individual rather than unit-level interventions are a more effective strategy for delivering bright light therapy for this population.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia. DESIGN: A cluster-unit crossover intervention trial involving four lighting conditions: morning bright light, evening bright light, all-day bright light, and standard light. SETTING: The common areas of two geriatric units in a state-operated psychiatric hospital in North Carolina and in a dementia-specific residential care facility in Oregon. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six older adults with dementia. INTERVENTION: Ambient bright light therapy was delivered through a high-intensity, low-glare lighting system installed in the public areas of study units at both sites. Each lighting condition was provided for multiple 3-week periods in a predetermined sequence. MEASUREMENTS: Staff caregivers completed the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) in the last week of each 3-week period to provide information about participants' moods. RESULTS: Analysis indicated a sex-by-treatment interaction (P=.008). Significant sex differences were found in CSDD scores in response to evening light (P=.003), all-day light (P=.001), and standard light (P</=.001). Depressive symptoms were lowest for women and highest for men during morning light. CONCLUSION: Findings do not support the use of ambient bright light therapy as a treatment for depressive symptoms in persons with dementia, although a subpopulation of persons with dementia may benefit from this intervention. It is likely that individual rather than unit-level interventions are a more effective strategy for delivering bright light therapy for this population.
Authors: Mariana G Figueiro; Barbara Plitnick; Charles Roohan; Levent Sahin; Michael Kalsher; Mark S Rea Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2019-11-08 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Ann Louise Barrick; Philip D Sloane; Christianna S Williams; C Madeline Mitchell; Bettye Rose Connell; Wendy Wood; Susan E Hickman; John S Preisser; Sheryl Zimmerman Journal: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2010-10 Impact factor: 3.485
Authors: Iosief Abraha; Joseph M Rimland; Fabiana Mirella Trotta; Giuseppina Dell'Aquila; Alfonso Cruz-Jentoft; Mirko Petrovic; Adalsteinn Gudmundsson; Roy Soiza; Denis O'Mahony; Antonio Guaita; Antonio Cherubini Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2017-03-16 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Mariana G Figueiro; Barbara A Plitnick; Anna Lok; Geoffrey E Jones; Patricia Higgins; Thomas R Hornick; Mark S Rea Journal: Clin Interv Aging Date: 2014-09-12 Impact factor: 4.458