164 Greater Light Exposure Is Associated with More Robust Rest-Activity Rhythms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Disrupted circadian rest-activity rhythms in older adults have been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and mortality. While light is one of the most potent synchronizing agents for the human circadian system, little is known about how light may influence rest-activity rhythms in older adults. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the amount of light exposure and rest-activity rhythm parameters using actigraphy data from a large cohort study. Methods 553 community-dwelling older adults (aged 72±5, 142 (25.5%) female) from the Chicago Healthy Aging Study cohort underwent recording of activity and ambient light exposure for a minimum of five 24-hour periods, using Actiwatch-L (Phillips Respironics). The average recording duration was 6.7±0.5 days. An extension to the traditional cosine model was used to compute circadian rest-activity rhythm parameters, including the amplitude (a measure of strength), the goodness of fit (pseudo F statistic; a measure of robustness), and acrophase (timing of peak activity). Light exposure was measured by time spent above light thresholds of 100, 200, 500, and 1000 lux per day (TAT100, TAT200, TAT500, TAT1000, respectively). Bivariate associations between rhythm parameters and TAT values were examined with Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Variables that met a significant threshold (p<0.05) were entered into multivariable models to adjust for potential confounders including age, sex, race, and season. Results Robustness of the rest-activity rhythm, measured by extended cosine pseudo-F statistics, was associated with TAT100 (partial Spearman’s correlation coefficient 0.12, p=0.008), TAT200 (coefficient 0.13, p=0.03), TAT500 (coefficient 0.16, p<0.001), and TAT 1000 (coefficient 0.18, p<0.001). TAT100/200/500/1000 were also associated with the strength of the rest-activity rhythm, measured by amplitude of the extended cosine fit (partial Spearman’s correlation coefficient vs. TAT100: 0.12, p=0.006, TAT200: 0.14, p=0.002, TAT500: 0.16, p<0.001, TAT1000: 0.18, p<0.001), after adjusting for age, sex, race, and season. Conclusion Across the seasons, greater daily light exposure is associated with more robust circadian rest-activity rhythm in community-dwelling older adults. Whether the enhancement of light exposure can improve the strength and robustness of rest-activity rhythm needs to be tested with future intervention studies. Support (if any):