The photobiology of the human circadian clock

Abstract

In modern society, the widespread use of artificial light at night disrupts the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which serves as our central circadian clock. Existing models describe excitatory responses of the SCN to primarily blue light, but direct measures in humans are absent. The combination of state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques and custom-made MRI compatible LED devices allowed to directly measure the light response of the SCN. In contrast to the general expectation, we found that SCN activity was suppressed by light. The suppressions were observed not only in response to narrowband blue light ({lambda}max: 470nm) but remarkably, also in response to green ({lambda}max: 515nm) and orange ({lambda}max: 590nm), but not to violet light ({lambda}max: 405nm). The broadband sensitivity of the SCN implies that strategies on light exposure should be revised: enhancement of light levels during daytime is possible with wavelengths other than blue, while during nighttime, all colors are potentially disruptive.