The chronosense – what light tells man about biological time

Erren, Thomas C.; Reíter, Russel J.; Pinger, Andreas; Piekarski, Claus; Erren, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2004.04.028

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Animal experiments on the effects of light exposure during the dark spans, including constant light, have in some studies shown an increased growth of transplantable murine liver tumors [89,90] and human breast cancer xenografts [91]. Although the suppression of endogenous melatonin through light exposure is one of the possible mechanisms for this increased risk and growth of tumors, the effect of light is quite complex in its neuroendocrine, metabolic and chronobiologic-organizational consequences [92]. If the melatonin suppression hypothesis should play a role for carcinogenesis in shift workers the use of therapeutic agents like b-receptor blockers which also suppress the production and secretion of melatonin will also have to be investigated [93,94].…”

Section: Night and Shift Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Clocks and Shift Work: Circadian Dysregulation and Potential Long-term Effects

Haus

Smolensky

2006

Cancer Causes Control

326

216

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Long-term epidemiologic studies on large numbers of night and rotating shift workers have suggested an increase in the incidence of breast and colon cancer in these populations. These studies suffer from poor definition and quantification of the work schedules of the exposed subjects. Against this background, the pathophysiology of phase shift and phase adaptation is reviewed. A phase shift as experienced in night and rotating shift work involves desynchronization at the molecular level in the circadian oscillators in the central nervous tissue and in most peripheral tissues of the body. There is a change in the coordination between oscillators with transient loss of control by the master-oscillator (the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, SCN) in the hypothalamus. The implications of the pathophysiology of phase shift are discussed for long-term health effects and for the design of ergonomic work schedules minimizing the adverse health effects upon the worker.

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Section: Night and Shift Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Clocks and Shift Work: Circadian Dysregulation and Potential Long-term Effects

Haus

Smolensky

2006

Cancer Causes Control

326

216

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“…Numerous questions are currently pursued with regards to the occurrence of the 'novel' photoreceptors, their chemical nature and genetic signature as well as their possible relevance for the continua from health to disease (Erren et al 2004), including the development of internal cancers in man (Erren et al 2003).…”

Section: Hypothesis and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Erren

Lerchl

et al. 2007

Naturwissenschaften

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This paper presents a hypothesis that could explain why blue light appears to dominate non-image-forming (NIF) ocular photoreception in marine as well as terrestrial vertebrates. Indeed, there is more and more evidence suggesting that 'novel' retinal photoreceptors, which are sensitive to blue light and were only discovered in the 1990s, could be a feature shared by all vertebrates. In our view, blue light photoreception evolved and persisted as NIF photoreception because it has been useful in the colonisation of extensive photo-dependent oceanic habitats and facilitated the move of vertebrates from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Because the available scattered evidence is compatible with the validity of our hypothesis, we hope that our rationale will be followed up. Indeed, it (1) involves testable predictions, (2) provides plausible explanations for previous observations, (3) unites phenomena not previously considered related to one another and (4) suggests tests that have not been carried out before. Overall, our approach not only embraces cross-disciplinary links; it, moreover, serves as a reminder of an all-embracing evolutionary history, especially with regard to a ubiquitous photoreceptive 'clockwork-blue' in marine and terrestrial vertebrates.

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“…Furthermore, we also believe that the lack of social zeitgebers, such as regular work schedules and social activities, as well as changes in living conditions (e.g., moving to parents' house) during the lockdown may somehow contribute to this impaired sense of time (Erren et al, 2004 ), which again may jeopardize the ability to accurately self-report SST. Additionally, PA may also play an important role as a social zeitgeber in humans, acting as a cue in the regulation of the body's circadian rhythm (Mistlberger & Skene, 2004 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was confirmed by our data from the lockdown cohort, where the Bland and Altman analysis suggested a higher underestimation from the participants spending longer time in SST (i.e., proportional bias with a significant trend between the mean and the difference of the two methods), meaning that the greater the SST, the less the individual's capacity to reliably report it. Furthermore, we also believe that the lack of social zeitgebers, such as regular work schedules and social activities, as well as changes in living conditions (e.g., moving to parents' house) during the lockdown may somehow contribute to this impaired sense of time (Erren et al, 2004), which again may jeopardize the ability to accurately self-report SST. Additionally, PA may also play an important role as a social zeitgeber in humans, acting as a cue in the regulation of the body's circadian rhythm (Mistlberger & Skene, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrepancies Between Self-reported and Objectively Measured Smartphone Screen Time: Before and During Lockdown

2023

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Screen time shows higher health risks compared to other types of sedentary behaviors. A lockdown may simultaneously increase screen time, reduce physical activity (PA), and change time perception. Our goal was to compare self-reported against objectively measured smartphone screen time (SST) in a sample of active and inactive Portuguese adults before and during a social lockdown. This study was a cross-sectional analysis with 211 Portuguese adults (57.8% males), aged 25.2 ± 8.5 years, from two cohorts, one before the social lockdown and the other during the lockdown. SST was self-reported (SR-SST) and objectively measured using a smartphone (OM-SST). PA was self-reported. Linear regressions were performed to determine the association between SR-SST and OM-SST. A Bland and Altman analysis was used to assess agreement. Independent T-tests were performed for comparisons between cohorts and paired sample T-tests for comparisons within each cohort. The cohort assessed during the lockdown showed a higher SST than the cohort assessed before the lockdown (OM-SST; p < 0.001 and SR-SST; p = 0.009). Before the lockdown, there was no difference between SR-SST and OM-SST (p = 0.100). However, during the social lockdown, although the agreement between SR-SST and OM-SST was good (ICC = 0.72), participants systematically underestimated their SST by ~ 71 min/day (p < 0.001), and this underestimation was higher in inactive participants (~ 85 min/day) than in active individuals (~ 49 min/day). The general population needs to be aware of the benefits of limiting screen time, especially during periods of societal modifications, such as a generalized lockdown. There was a tendency to underestimate SST, meaning a lack of awareness of the actual time spent in this potentially deleterious behavior. This underestimation was more pronounced during the lockdown period and for the inactive participants, thus posing a greater health risk. The findings from this investigation entail relevant information for policy makers to delineate strategies for reducing population screen time from a preventive health perspective.

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The chronosense – what light tells man about biological time

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Biological Clocks and Shift Work: Circadian Dysregulation and Potential Long-term Effects

Biological Clocks and Shift Work: Circadian Dysregulation and Potential Long-term Effects

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Discrepancies Between Self-reported and Objectively Measured Smartphone Screen Time: Before and During Lockdown

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