Alerting effects of daytime light exposure – a proposed link between light exposure and brain mechanisms

Abstract

The effects of light on alertness have been shown several times and the proposed cause has been suppressed melatonin levels. The relation of melatonin and alertness applies at night but not by day when there is hardly any melatonin. Still, light can be used to improve daytime alertness, but how? This paper describes the brain mechanisms involved in light-induced daytime alertness and proposes a novel model of two parallel mechanisms. In addition to the well-established circadian pathway, it is suggested that light can use the amygdala in the limbic system to send signals to the cerebral cortex. The participation of the amygdala in light-induced alertness means that light is provoking and modulating emotions that induce alerting responses. The model is assembled from known relations but has not yet been verified as a functional system. The paper proposes methods to test the model.