Back to Search
Start Over
Acute exposure to blue wavelength light during memory consolidation improves verbal memory performance
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 9, p e0184884 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Acute exposure to light within the blue wavelengths has been shown to enhance alertness and vigilance, and lead to improved speed on reaction time tasks, possibly due to activation of the noradrenergic system. It remains unclear, however, whether the effects of blue light extend beyond simple alertness processes to also enhance other aspects of cognition, such as memory performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a thirty minute pulse of blue light versus placebo (amber light) exposure in healthy normally rested individuals in the morning during verbal memory consolidation (i.e., 1.5 hours after memory acquisition) using an abbreviated version of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-II). At delayed recall, individuals who received blue light (n = 12) during the consolidation period showed significantly better long-delay verbal recall than individuals who received amber light exposure (n = 18), while controlling for the effects of general intelligence, depressive symptoms and habitual wake time. These findings extend previous work demonstrating the effect of blue light on brain activation and alertness to further demonstrate its effectiveness at facilitating better memory consolidation and subsequent retention of verbal material. Although preliminary, these findings point to a potential application of blue wavelength light to optimize memory performance in healthy populations. It remains to be determined whether blue light exposure may also enhance performance in clinical populations with memory deficits.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Male
Light
Physiology
lcsh:Medicine
Social Sciences
Audiology
0302 clinical medicine
Cognition
Learning and Memory
Recall (Memory)
Medicine and Health Sciences
Psychology
lcsh:Science
media_common
Multidisciplinary
California Verbal Learning Test
Physics
Electromagnetic Radiation
Brain
Verbal Learning
Physical Sciences
Memory consolidation
Female
Vigilance (psychology)
Research Article
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
media_common.quotation_subject
Verbal learning
03 medical and health sciences
Human Learning
Memory
medicine
Learning
Humans
Memory Consolidation
Recall
lcsh:R
Cognitive Psychology
Biology and Life Sciences
Alertness
030104 developmental biology
Cognitive Science
lcsh:Q
Verbal memory
Physiological Processes
Sleep
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Neuroscience
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 12
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8af524531f6a3dcd832acf1dfbff6f8e