Main description:

This special topic issue of 'Neuropsychobiology' is devoted to the importance of light to humans. Light has very powerful and complex effects on the brain, acting on multiple nonvisual systems to synchronize circadian rhythms, stabilize and improve sleep, and influence mood, alertness, performance, and metabolism. Bright blue-enriched morning light may be effective for counteracting circadian desynchronization. Clinical papers cover the growing acceptance in doctors’ practice for using light treatment in winter and other depressions, and how to improve compliance. Further chapters discuss the indirect role of architecture in providing daylight, as well as a pilot study focusing on vegetarians and seasonal affective disorders. In addition, the abstracts of the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR) provide an overview of the state of the art – not only broadening clinical applications, but also presenting how growing knowledge of the important nonvisual role of light is being translated into empirical studies of better buildings.