Background
Bright light therapy has been shown to have antidepressant and anxiolytic effects
in humans.
Objective
The antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of infrared radiation were evaluated using
an experimental animal model.
Methods
Rats were randomly assigned to either an acutely or chronically exposed infrared radiation
group or to a nonexposed control group. Acutely exposed rats were treated with an
infrared radiation machine for one session, whereas chronically exposed animals were
treated with an infrared radiation for 10 sessions. Control group rats were exposed
to the sound of the infrared radiation machine as a sham treatment. After infrared
radiation or control exposure, rats underwent behavioral evaluation, including elevated
plus maze test, light/dark box, and forced swim test.
Results
Chronic infrared radiation exposure decreased indicators of depression- and anxiety-like
behavior. No significant effect on general locomotor activity was observed. The number
of BrdU-positive cells in CA1 of the hippocampus was significantly increased in both
acutely and chronically exposed infrared radiation groups compared with the control
group.
Conclusions
These results indicate that chronic infrared radiation might produce antidepressant-
and anxiolytic-like effects.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in NeuromodulationAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder: a review of efficacy.Neuropsychopharmacology. 1989; 2: 1-22
- Dose-response relationship of phototherapy for seasonal affective disorder: a meta-analysis.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1999; 99: 315-323
- Canadian consensus guidelines for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder.Clinical and Academic Publishing, Vancouver1999
- Light therapy of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder: an extended study.Am J Psychiatry. 1993; 150: 1417-1419
- Light therapy for seasonal and nonseasonal depression: efficacy, protocol, safety, and side effects.CNS Spectr. 2005; 10: 647-663
- Risk of traffic accident injury after a prescription for a benzodiazepine.Ann Epidemiol. 1995; 5: 239-244
- Drugs and falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis: I, psychotropic drugs J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999; 47: 30-39
- Does bright light have an anxiolytic effect? An open trial.BMC Psychiatry. 2007; 7: 62
- Augmentation of wound healing using monochromatic infrared energy: exploration of a new technology for wound management.Adv. Wound Care. 1999; 12: 35-40
- Promotive effects of far-infrared ray on full-thickness skin wound healing in rats.Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003; 228: 724-729
- Tumor destruction by intermediate level hyperthermia.Curr Eye Res. 1990; 9: 771-780
- Inhibition by whole-body hyperthermia with far-infrared rays of the growth of spontaneous mammary tumours in mice.Anticancer Res. 1999; 19: 4125-4130
- A randomised trial to evaluate the effect of infra-red stimulation of local trigger points, versus placebo, on the pain caused by cervical osteoarthrosis.Acupunct Electrother Res. 1981; 6: 277-284
- Temporomandibular joint pain analgesia by linearly polarized near-infrared irradiation.Clin J Pain. 2001; 17: 47-51
- The effects of repeated thermal therapy for patients with chronic pain.Psychother Psychosom. 2005; 74: 288-294
- Persistent pain and depression: a biopsychosocial perspective.Biol Psychiatry. 2003; 54: 399-409
- Depression and pain comorbidity: a literature review.Arch Intern Med. 2003; 163: 2433-2445
- An epidemiologic comparison of pain complaints.Pain. 1988; 32: 173-183
- Antinociception with intrathecal alpha-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A/2C receptor agonist, in two rat models of sustained pain.Anesth Analg. 2003; 96: 1072-1078
- Antidepressants as analgesics: a review of randomized controlled trials.J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2001; 26: 30-36
- Prophylactic treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by using light visors: bright white or infrared light?.Biol Psychiatry. 1999; 46: 239-246
- Infrared irradiation has potential antidepressant effect.Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2007; 31: 1397-1400
- Mice receiving infrared irradiation have a higher survival rate under forced swimming in cold.Photomed Laser Surg. 2009; 27: 725-728
- Corticosterone response to the plus-maze: high correlation with risk assessment in rats and mice.Physiol Behav. 1999; 68: 47-53
- Increases in plasma corticosterone and stretched-attend postures in rats naive and previously exposed to the elevated plus-maze are sensitive to the anxiolytic-like effects of midazolam.Horm Behav. 2007; 52: 267-273
- Depression: a new animal model sensitive to antidepressant treatments.Nature. 1977; 266: 730-732
- Active behaviors in the rat forced swimming test differentially produced by serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1995; 121: 66-72
- NG2 proteoglycan-expressing cells of the adult rat brain: possible involvement in the formation of glial scar astrocytes following stab wound.Glia. 2005; 49: 318-338
- Morning light therapy for winter depression: predictors of response.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1994; 189: 97-101
- Chronic antidepressant treatment increases neurogenesis in adult rat hippocampus.J Neurosci. 2000; 20: 9104-9110
- Antidepressants alter cell proliferation in the adult brain in vivo and in neural cultures in vitro.Eur J Pharmacol. 2001; 411: 67-70
- Increased neurogenesis in a model of electroconvulsive therapy.Biol Psychiatry. 2000; 47: 1043-1049
- Melatonin in mood disorders.World J Biol Psychiatry. 2006; 7: 138-151
- Biological rhythm disturbances in mood disorders.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2006; 21: S11-S15
- The interaction between the internal clock and antidepressant efficacy.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2007; 22: S9-S14
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 10, 2010
Accepted:
April 12,
2010
Received in revised form:
March 27,
2010
Received:
December 24,
2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
