Bright light therapy in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study
Abstract
Several observations suggest a beneficial effect of melatonin antagonism for Parkinson's disease (PD). Although bright light therapy (BLT) suppresses melatonin release and is an established treatment for depression and sleep disturbances, it has not been evaluated in PD. We examined effects of BLT on motor symptoms, depression, and sleep in PD in a randomized placebo‐controlled double‐blind study in 36 PD patients, using Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) I–IV, Beck's Depression Inventory, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. All patients received BLT for 15 days in the morning, 30 min daily. Illuminance was 7.500 lux in the active treatment group and 950 lux in the placebo group. Although group differences were small, BLT led to significant improvement of tremor, UPDRS I, II, and IV, and depression in the active treatment group but not in the placebo group. It was very well tolerated. Follow up studies in more advanced patient populations employing longer treatment durations are warranted. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
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In the only controlled light therapy study in PD, bright light therapy (7500 lux for 30 minutes in the morning for two weeks) was associated with significantly improved UPDRS part I and II scores.
“Bright LT was associated in significantly improved UPDRS part I and II scores, and modest improvements in mood and daytime sleepiness.”
From Circadian dysregulation in Parkinson's disease (2017) · cites this paper as Paus et al., 2007
To date, several studies have been published on light therapy in Parkinson's disease.
“To date, several studies have been published on LT in PD (Paus et al., 2007, Willis and Turner, 2007, Willis et al., 2012).”
From Circadian dysregulation in Parkinson's disease (2017) · cites this paper as Paus et al., 2007
In that controlled study, bright light therapy was associated with modest improvements in mood and daytime sleepiness.
“Bright LT was associated in significantly improved UPDRS part I and II scores, and modest improvements in mood and daytime sleepiness.”
From Circadian dysregulation in Parkinson's disease (2017) · cites this paper as Paus et al., 2007
In the controlled study, beneficial effects of light therapy on sleepiness were observed in both the bright light and placebo light groups.
“Beneficial effects of LT on sleepiness were observed in both study groups, which might represent the result of a biological placebo effect, since the intensity of the control lighting condition may have not been fully inert.”
From Circadian dysregulation in Parkinson's disease (2017) · cites this paper as Paus et al., 2007
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- Authors
- Paus, S., Schmitz‐Hübsch, T., Wüllner, U., Vogel, A., Klockgether, T., & Abele, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Paus, Sebastian
- Venue
- Movement Disorders
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-05-21
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1495-1498
- ISSN
- 0885-3185 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-8257
- OpenAlex
- W2125102656
- Semantic Scholar
- 639fa1b3a3252065c5aa4760fb8f914a6ee087e7
- Cited by
- 162
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 3.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Movement Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Neurological disorders and treatments
- Keywords
- bright light therapy, Parkinson's disease, depression, sleep, motor symptoms, tremor, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, phototherapy
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Depression, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Parkinson Disease, Phototherapy, Pilot Projects, Retrospective Studies, Severity of Illness Index, Sleep Wake Disorders, Treatment Outcome
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