Erren Thomas C, Koch Melissa S, Gross J Valérie, Reiter Russel J, Meyer-Rochow V Benno
Institute and Policlinic for Occupational Medicine, Environmental Medicine and Prevention Research, University of Cologne, Lindenthal, Germany.
Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2012;33(3):314-7.
Thought-provoking experimental evidence suggests that perinatal light exposure may imprint circadian clocks with lasting effects on the alignment and the stability of circadian rhythms later in life. Assuming that exposure to light early in life could determine the stability of an individual's circadian system later in life, the present hypothesis proposes that time of year and location of birth (i.e., season and latitude) and thus differential Zeitgeber strengths may be key contributors to a person's susceptibility of developing mood disorders like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and common internal cancers such as those of breast and prostate. Consequently, when and where people are born might critically predispose them to both mood disorders and internal cancers, and may affect the onset and course of such illnesses. This paper develops a causal framework and presents suggestions for rigorous tests of the associated corollary and predictions. It does not escape our attention that links between the perinatal Zeitgeber strength of light and its effects on the stability of circadian systems later in life could have a role to play in affecting long-term health beyond cancer and mood disorders - mostly in adults but also in children.
引人深思的实验证据表明，围产期光照可能会影响生物钟，对个体日后昼夜节律的协调性和稳定性产生持久影响。假设生命早期的光照暴露能够决定个体日后昼夜节律系统的稳定性，那么本假说提出，出生的年份和地点（即季节和纬度）以及由此产生的不同授时因子强度，可能是导致个体易患季节性情感障碍（SAD）等情绪障碍以及乳腺癌和前列腺癌等常见内脏癌症的关键因素。因此，人们的出生时间和地点可能会使其极易患上情绪障碍和内脏癌症，并可能影响这些疾病的发病和病程。本文构建了一个因果框架，并针对相关推论和预测的严格检验提出了建议。我们也注意到，围产期光照授时因子强度与它对个体日后昼夜节律系统稳定性的影响之间的联系，可能在影响除癌症和情绪障碍之外的长期健康方面发挥作用——主要影响成年人，但也会影响儿童。
