The DOI matches its Crossref record; 29 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Bright Light Resets the Human Circadian Pacemaker Independent of the Timing of the Sleep-Wake Cycle
Abstract
Human circadian rhythms were once thought to be insensitive to light, with synchronization to the 24-hour day accomplished either through social contacts or the sleep-wake schedule. Yet the demonstration of an intensity-dependent neuroendocrine response to bright light has led to renewed consideration of light as a possible synchronizer of the human circadian pacemaker. In a laboratory study, the output of the circadian pacemaker of an elderly woman was monitored before and after exposure to 4 hours of bright light for seven consecutive evenings, and before and after a control study in ordinary room light while her sleep-wake schedule and social contacts remained unchanged. The exposure to bright light in the evening induced a 6-hour delay shift of her circadian pacemaker, as indicated by recordings of body temperature and cortisol secretion. The unexpected magnitude, rapidity, and stability of the shift challenge existing concepts regarding circadian phase-resetting capacity in man and suggest that exposure to bright light can indeed reset the human circadian pacemaker, which controls daily variations in physiologic, behavioral, and cognitive function.
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“Light is the most important and potent synchronizer for the human circadian system (Czeisler et al., 1986, Klerman and Rimmer, 1998).”
From Circadian dysregulation in Parkinson's disease (2017) · cites this paper as Czeisler et al., 1986
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Metadata
- Authors
- Czeisler, C. A., Allan, J. S., Strogatz, S. H., Ronda, J. M., Sánchez, R., Ríos, C. D., Freitag, W. O., Richardson, G. S., & Kronauer, R. E.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1986-08-08
- Volume
- 233
- Issue
- 4764
- Pages
- 667-671
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2003623977
- Cited by
- 770
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 12.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01hd020174-03)
- U.S. Public Health Service (AFOSR-83-0309)
- National Institute on Aging (1 R01-AG-04912-02)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1 R01-HD-20174-01)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Impact of Light on Environment and Health
- Keywords
- circadian pacemaker, phase resetting, bright light exposure, circadian synchronization, circadian phase shift, body temperature, cortisol secretion, sleep-wake cycle, older women
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Body Temperature, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Light, Sleep
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