Melatonin response to bright light in recovered, drug-free, bipolar patients

Melatonin Sensitivity to Dim White Light in Affective Disorders

“…The findings are similar to that of Lewy et al (1981Lewy et al ( , 1985 and Nurnberger et al (1988) who likewise found a supersensitivity in bipolar patients, and Cummings et al (1989) who found no difference in the light sensitivity between controls and patients with MDD. However, the study does not agree with a more recent study that showed more suppression in the controls than in a group of patients with MDD or BD (Lam et al 1990), and the study of Whalley et al (1990) showing no differences in sensitivity to 500 lux between euthymic (recovered) bipolar patients and control subjects.…”

“…Others have reported no increased sensitivity to light in patients with bipolar disorder or patients with major depressive disorder compared to controls, but that those diagnosed as bipolar disorder had significantly lower baseline melatonin levels (Cummings et al 1989;Lam et al 1990). Whalley et al (1990) also reported no differences in sensitivity to 500 lux between euthymic (recovered) bipolar patients and control subjects. These results are therefore in conflict with those reported findings of Lewy et al (1985).…”

Treatment of seasonal affective disorder: Unipolar versus bipolar differences

“…It is possible that these findings are associated with the duration or rate of change of the photoperiod at that time of year, or with the amount of sunshine and sunlight radiation [31,34,35]. In this regard, patients with (nonseasonal) bipolar disorder have been found to have increased sensitivity to light (as measured by retinal electrophysiology and light-induced melatonin secretion) in some studies [36,37], but not all [38][39][40]. Genetics also may be involved because one study found that of 61 twin pairs with one twin diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the bipolar twin had higher seasonality scores when compared with cotwins with no mental disorder [41].…”

“…Lee et al [56] Open trials and randomized controlled trials 40 Morning plus evening light exposure was superior to light administered at a single time of day. Lee and Chan [57] Open trials and randomized controlled trials 39 Bright light was superior to dim light Gaynes [58] Randomized controlled trials 14 Bright light was superior to control conditions. Morning light exposure was superior to other times of day.…”

Alternative Treatments in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

“…121 Patients with bipolar disorder have been reported to have lower baseline levels of melatonin and increased sensitivity to dim light (with dim light causing increased melatonin suppression in bipolar patients compared with that in healthy controls), [122][123][124] though other reports do not support these data. 125,126 There is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of adults with bipolar disorder. In 2000, Bersani and Garavini 127 published an open-label trial in which 11 outpatients aged 22 to 43 years diagnosed with bipolar disorder, manic type, who experienced insomnia that did not respond to usual hypnotic therapies were given melatonin 3 mg nightly at 10:30 PM for 30 days.…”