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Effect of light therapy upon disturbed behaviors in Alzheimer patients

Barbara C. Manning, MEd

David G. Harper, MS

Ladislav Volicer, MD, PhD

Geriatric Research Educational Clinical Center, E. N. Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts

Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes sleep and behavioral disturbares which may be related to abnormalities of circadian rhythms caused by damage of the suprachiasmatic nucleis. Exposure to bright light may compensate for this danlage by improving synchronization, timing and amplijude of circadian rhythms. Three case studies, presented in this paper, demonstrate the beneficial effect of light therapy on sleep and one of the cases also suggests that light therapy may be effective in the treatment of agitated behavior. The clinical observations also suggest a need for increased level of lighting in long term care facilites.

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 13, No. 6, 291-295 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/153331759801300604


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