Dr. Randy Nelson is a world-renowned neuroscientist. Serving formerly as the chair of The Department of Neuroscience as well as of Brain Research and Teaching at The Ohio State University, Dr. Nelson was recently appointed to be the Hazel Ruby McQuain Chair for Neurological Research at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and now serves as the Director of Basic Science Research in the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.
Dr. Nelson has published 14 books in addition to several hundred peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, altogether garnering over 23,000 citations.
Dr. Nelson will speak on one of his many areas of expertise, wherein he reviews how light exposure at night influences our brain activity and alters our behavior. See it from his own words below.
The Effects of Light at Night on Brain and Behavior
Randy J. Nelson
Life on earth has evolved during the past several billion years under relatively bright days and dark night conditions. The widespread adoption of electric lights during the past century exposed animals, including humans, to significant light at night for the first time in their evolutionary history. Endogenous circadian clocks depend on light to entrain to the external daily environment, and seasonal rhythms depend on clear nightly melatonin signals to assess time of year. Thus, light at night can derange temporal adaptations. Indeed, disruption of naturally evolved light-dark cycles results in several physiological and behavioral changes with potentially serious implications for physiology, behavior, and mood. In this talk, data from our lab will be reviewed on the role of dim light at night on food intake and depressive-like behaviors. The association among light at night, dysregulation of clock gene expression, and neuroinflammation will be presented. Strategies to avoid the effects of light at night on body mass dysregulation will be recommended.
Check out Dr. Nelson’s TEDx Talk below!