Abstract
Here, we review the history and the trends in the research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological anthropology. Research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological anthropology was pioneered by Sato and colleagues in the early 1990s. These authors found that the color temperature of light affected physiological functions in humans. The groundbreaking event with regard to the study of nonvisual effects of light was the discovery of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in the mammalian retina in the early 2000s. The interest of the physiological anthropology scientific community in the nonvisual effects of light has been increasing since then. A total of 61 papers on nonvisual effects of light were published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology (including its predecessor journals) until October 2018, 14 papers (1.4/year) in the decade from 1992 to 2001, 45 papers (2.8/year) in the 16 years between 2002 and 2017, and two papers in 2018 (January–October). The number of papers on this topic has been increasing in recent years. We categorized all papers according to light conditions, such as color temperature of light, light intensity, and monochromatic light. Among the 61 papers, 11 papers were related to color temperature, 20 papers were related to light intensity, 18 papers were related to monochromatic light, and 12 papers were classified as others. We provide an overview of these papers and mention future research prospects.
Highlights
Light has a great influence on various organisms, including humans
Among all 61 papers, 11 papers were related to color temperature, 20 papers were related to light intensity, 18 papers were related to monochromatic light, and 12 papers were classified as others
These findings indicate that the effect of blue light on Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell (ipRGC) may be inhibited by simultaneous exposure to green light [60]
Summary
Light has a great influence on various organisms, including humans. Photoreceptors or photopigments, which accept light from the surrounding environment, are present in animals and plants, and in bacteria and fungi, and are involved in several life-related processes. These studies by Sato and colleagues pioneered the first observations in the laboratory experiments that differences in spectroscopic spectrum of light, which can be expressed by the color temperature, affect the physiological functions in humans They greatly contributed to the subsequent development of the research on the nonvisual effects of light in the field of physiological anthropology. Nonvisual effects of the color temperature of light The influence of the color temperature of light on human physiology was the first aspect researched in the field of physiological anthropology and began, as previously mentioned, in the early 1990s [13,14,15] Since this topic has been actively studied in the field of physiological anthropology (Table 1).
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