Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Behav Brain Res. 2024 Mar 28;462:114884. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114884. Epub 2024 Jan 29.
Colored light has important implications for human health and well-being, as well as for the aesthetics and function of various environments. In addition to its effects on visual function, colored light has significant effects on cognitive performance, behavior and systemic physiology. The aim of the current study was to comprehensively investigate how colored light exposure (CLE) combined with a cognitive task (2-back) affects performance, cerebral hemodynamics, oxygenation, and systemic physiology as assessed by systemic physiology augmented functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SPA-fNIRS). 36 healthy subjects (22 female, 14 male, age 26.3 ± 5.7 years) were measured twice on two different days. They were exposed to the sequence of blue and red light or vice versa in a randomized crossover design. During the CLE, the subjects were asked to perform a 2-back task. The 2-back task performance was correlated with changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex (red: r = -0.37, p = 0.001; blue: r = -0.33, p = 0.004) and the high-frequency component of the heart rate variability (red: r = 0.35, p = 0.003; blue: r = 0.25, p = 0.04). These changes were independent of the CLE. Sequence-dependent effects were observed for fNIRS signals at the visual cortex (VC) and for electrodermal activity (EDA). While both colors caused relatively similar changes in the VC and EDA at the position of the first exposure, blue and red light caused greater changes in the VC and EDA, respectively, in the second exposure. There was no significant difference in the subjects' 2-back task performance between the CLE (p = 0.46). The results of this study provide new insights into how human physiology and behavior respond to colored light exposure. Our findings are important for understanding the impact of colored light in our daily lives and its potential applications in a variety of settings, including education, the workplace and healthcare.
彩色光对人类健康和福祉具有重要意义，同时对各种环境的美学和功能也有重要影响。除了对视觉功能的影响外，彩色光还对认知表现、行为和全身生理学有显著影响。本研究的目的是全面研究彩色光暴露（CLE）与认知任务（2 回）相结合如何影响表现、大脑血液动力学、氧合和全身生理学，这些通过全身生理学增强功能近红外光谱（SPA-fNIRS）进行评估。36 名健康受试者（22 名女性，14 名男性，年龄 26.3±5.7 岁）在两天的两次不同时间进行了两次测量。他们在随机交叉设计中暴露于蓝、红光序列或反之亦然。在 CLE 期间，要求受试者执行 2 回任务。2 回任务的表现与前额叶皮层中氧合血红蛋白浓度的变化相关（红色：r=-0.37，p=0.001；蓝色：r=-0.33，p=0.004）和心率变异性的高频分量（红色：r=0.35，p=0.003；蓝色：r=0.25，p=0.04）。这些变化与 CLE 无关。在视觉皮层（VC）和皮肤电活动（EDA）的 fNIRS 信号中观察到与序列相关的影响。虽然两种颜色在第一次暴露时在 VC 和 EDA 位置引起相对相似的变化，但蓝色和红色光在第二次暴露时分别引起 VC 和 EDA 的更大变化。在 CLE 之间，受试者的 2 回任务表现没有显著差异（p=0.46）。本研究的结果提供了关于人类生理学和行为如何对彩色光暴露做出反应的新见解。我们的发现对于理解彩色光在我们日常生活中的影响及其在各种环境中的潜在应用（包括教育、工作场所和医疗保健）非常重要。
