Thaindian News

London, Nov 9 (IANS) The days are turning shorter and darker and the nights longer as the winter looms, bringing on the dreaded blues, a major symptom of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

SAD is caused by insufficient sunlight, essential for the brain to trigger output of serotonin, a mood regulating hormone.

However, now scientists have a remedy for SAD, that cures it in just eight minutes a day. It involves beaming light directly into the brain through the ears.

The technique is based on the discovery that the brain itself is just as sensitive to daylight as the eyes, with photoreceptive parts using it to help set our biological clocks, the Telegraph reports.

At least 18 brain regions contain light-sensitive opsin proteins, also found in eyes, as Oulu University scientists in Finland discovered.

They have been working with a company called Valkee to come up with an iPod-like device for delivering a daily dose of artificial sunshine through a pair of tiny torches hidden in earbud headphones.

A clinical trial in 89 volunteers with SAD found 74 to 79 percent were totally cured of depressive symptoms, when they used the device for between eight and 12 minutes a day.

One female participant, 43, said: “I used to eat a lot of chocolate during winter time and when stressed, but not anymore. My food cravings have ended.”

Explaining the science, Timo Ahopelto, chief executive of Valkee, said: “We have found three different proteins in the brain that are all sensitive to light.

Modern living has compounded the problem, with many hemmed in by office jobs that in winter finish after dark, leaving little time for exposure to natural daylight.

Companies have been producing ‘light boxes’ for years, which emit blueish light that mimics daylight. But Ahopelto said: “With the traditional ‘eye route’, you need to administer light therapy very carefully, and sit next to the light box for an hour a day.”

Many people found this impractical, he said, and studies showed they were only 40 to 60 percent effective. The results are being presented at the International Forum for Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Budapest.