Terry J

Terry J

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) and yes, I bleed Purple and Gold. Love food! I try to...Full Bio

 

Working In Dim Lights Can Change Structure Of Brain

A new study from Michigan State University has found that spending too much time in dim areas, like poorly lit offices, could actually change the structure of rats’ brains, impacting the way they remember information and learn new things. It suggests that the quality of light in our physical environments may deeply affect us.

MSU neuroscientists studied the brains of Nile grass rats, which are comparable to humans in that they are awake during the day and asleep at night, and discovered that after exposing them to dim light over a period of four weeks, the rats lost 30% of the capacity of their hippocampuses (the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory). The dim light also impacted the rats’ performance on a spatial task.

While the research was carried out on rats, it suggests that the design of the spaces we inhabit has a direct impact on the way that we think. Spending so much time in dimly lit offices could have real consequences on the brain over time, given that humans spend 90% of their time indoors. That means that designing offices so they have a large amount of natural light isn’t just a nice perk for workers. It’s a necessity for people to be their most productive and healthiest selves. [www.factcodesign.com]


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