Light May Slow Dementia

Brighter environs cut depression in research hailed as 'spectacular'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 11, 2008 11:53 AM CDT
Light May Slow Dementia
Slowing dementia with brighter lighting could mean an extra 6 months for patients in their own home, scientists say.   (KRT Photos)

Brighter daytime lighting can significantly soften dementia symptoms, according to a Dutch study that found better moods and sleep patterns correlated with brighter environs. Combined with extra doses of the hormone melatonin, lighting slowed onset of symptoms by up to 5%, which “may not sound like a huge amount,” one researcher said, but “it could represent 6 months" of extra time in a patient's own home. (More Alzheimer's disease stories.)

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