Bad lighting complicates the learning process

With insufficient illumination, nerve cells are weakly in contact with each other, which leads to a deterioration in the memory processes.
To optimize memory, the brain needs bright light. This was announced by scientific representatives of the University of Michigan. They conducted a series of experiments on grassy rodents: animals were divided into groups and for a month kept in a room with varying degrees of illumination: from simulating a cloudy day to ordinary daylight or artificial light. It is worth noting that herbal rodents lead a predominantly daytime lifestyle, just like a human being.

A month later, the researchers found that the rodents, who were always in dim lighting, had problems with the hippocampus - one of the basic centers of memorization and orientation in space. As explained by the authors of the study, lack of light caused a decrease in the capacity of the hippocampus by 30%. As a result, there was a poor formation of connections between nerve cells, and the rodents themselves began to orientate poorly on the terrain.

The deterioration in the formation of mutual neuronal contacts may have to do with reducing the protein content in the brain, which is called a neurotrophic brain factor. Such a factor activates the processes of growth and development in neurons, allows them to create and strengthen synapses. When the neurotrophic factor is deficient, the formation of new neuronal chains is disrupted. As a result, the process of memorizing new information worsens, and the quality of teaching suffers.
However, scientists noticed a positive moment: all violations were transitory. If the rodents were illuminated, the ability to remember and navigate in space was restored, and the hippocampus function stabilized.

Of course, pairs of studies on rodents are not enough to obtain reliable information. It is necessary to conduct a number of experiments involving people. It would not be superfluous to obtain information about whether other cognitive properties suffer from prolonged lack of lighting.

 Of course, it is difficult to imagine that among people there are those who spend several weeks in a row in darkened rooms. But we can not exclude: many have to work daily in poorly lit offices, shops or offices. Also, a lack of light can be present in classrooms - especially if the offices are located on the lower floors.

Experts believe that dim lighting in any case negatively affects brain activity - to a lesser or greater extent. By the way, earlier experiments have already made it possible to prove that in the event of a deficiency of sunlight, metabolic processes slow down in a person, which can negatively affect the state of health - in particular, lead to obesity.

Details of the study are presented in the publication Hippocampus.

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