Positive effects of blue light on motor coordination in older adults: A pilot study
Files
REVIEW V2 Positive effects of blue light.pdf
Submitted version, 291.1Kb
This file wil be publicly accessible from 2026-01-01
Request a copy
Request a copy
Permanent link to Research Commons version
https://hdl.handle.net/10289/16125Abstract
Purpose: Falls are a risk factor for mortality in older adults. Lighting interventions can improve cognitive and motor task performance, but the effect on postural control with relevance to falling is unknown. Methods: Sixteen older adults participated in an intervention study with blue-enriched light delivered visually and/or transcranially for 12 min. Postural control in three conditions (60s eyes-open, dual-task, and eyes-closed), lower-limb motor coordination, and cognitive function were assessed. Results: Relative to placebo, visual blue-enriched light improved reaction time in the motor coordination task by 0.073 ± 0.035s (d = 0.77 ± 0.39; p = 0.003). Visual exposure decreased Area of Sway relative to the combined (d = 0.38 ± 0.26; p = 0.020) and placebo interventions (d = 0.47 ± 0.42; p = 0.067), with no significant effect on cognition. Conclusion: Blue-enriched lighting demonstrates a novel approach to positively impact postural control and motor coordination in older adults. By impacting metrics associated with fall risk, light interventions may provide a clinical countermeasure to decrease the human costs of falls.
Date
2024-01-01Type
Publisher
Elsevier
Rights
© 2024 Elsevier B.V. This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in Applied Ergonomics: Human Factors in Technology and Society.