Constant exposure to artificial hospital lighting could damage the development of premature babies'natural body clocks.
Tests showed exposing baby mice to constant light prevents the master biological clock in their brains from developing properly. Newborn mice provide a good model for premature human infants because baby mice are born at an earlier stage of development than humans, a stage almost equivalent to that of premature babies.
Researchers at The Vanderbilt University said this could contribute to an increased risk of mood disorders, such as depression.
The potential benefit of reducing unnecessary light exposure must now be investigated
The researchers say in the journal Pediatric Research that their findings suggest special care baby units should try to minimise a baby's exposure to artificial lighting - possibly by using a day/night cycle.
Many of the 14 million premature babies are born worldwide are exposed to artificial lighting in hospitals. Previous research has found infants from neonatal units with cyclic lighting tend to begin sleeping through the night more quickly, and gain weight faster than those from units with constant lighting.
We all have a biological (body) clock which influences the activity of many organs, including the brain, heart, liver and lungs and regulates the daily activity cycles known as circadian rhythms.
Chief researcher Dr Douglas McMahon said more work was needed to establish whether disruption of a baby's biological clock could increase their vulnerability to mood disorders. "All this is speculative at this point. But, certainly the data would indicate that human infants benefit from the synchronizing effect of a normal light cycle."
Professor Andrew Shennan, an expert in obstetrics for Tommy's, the baby charity, said the link between light exposure and its effects on mood and behaviour were quite firmly established.
"Currently, any babies who are admitted to a special care baby unit are going to be exposed to incredibly harsh lighting to facilitate care that is needed by day or night. Many units now try and reduce adverse stimuli including lighting for periods during the day and at night. As a result of this research the potential benefit of reducing unnecessary light exposure must now be investigated, as it would seem that there is a strong possibility that this could improve the development of the body clock."
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