Dgm. Murphy et al., SEASONAL AFFECTIVE-DISORDER - RESPONSE TO LIGHT AS MEASURED BY ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM, MELATONIN SUPPRESSION, AND CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW, British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 1993, pp. 327-331
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that patients with SAD
have significantly different physiological responses to light than hea
lthy age- and sex-matched controls. We studied retinal contrast sensit
ivity, visual evoked EEG responses, and melatonin suppression by, and
cerebral blood flow response to, full-spectrum artificial daylight. Th
ere was no significant difference between 10 patients and 11 controls
in retinal contrast sensitivity, or amplitude or latency of N2, P2, P1
00 or P300 on EEG. We compared melatonin suppression in 12 SAD patient
s and 12 controls. During exposure to 500 lux and 1500 lux artificial
daylight both the SAD patients and controls had a significant melatoni
n percentage suppression; however, the percentage suppression did not
differ significantly between the SAD patients and the controls. In add
ition, we carried out a small pilot study into the effect of light on
cerebral blood flow in four SAD patients and four controls. Before exp
osure to 1500 lux artificial daylight there was no significant differe
nce between patients and controls in global, regional or cerebral hemi
spheric blood flow. After light exposure the SAD patients and controls
had a significantly different percentage change in cerebral blood flo
w. We suggest that patients with SAD do not have significantly physiol
ogical responses to light than controls, except perhaps in cerebral bl
ood flow. Furthermore, mechanisms other than supersensitivity of melat
onin suppression must explain both the pathophysiology of the disorder
and its response to treatment with light.