For Depressed Parkinson Disease Patients, Bright Light Has No Added Benefit

Three months of twice-daily bright light was no better than control light in improving major depression.

Depression is common in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and can be helped with such treatments as cognitive-behavioral therapy (NEJM JW Psychiatry Feb 2015 and Neurology 2014; 83:2167) and antidepressants (NEJM JW Psychiatry Jun 2012 and Neurology 2012; 78:1229). Hypothesizing that disturbed circadian rhythm is the etiology underlying depression and insomnia in patients with PD, investigators studied the efficacy of 3 months of bright-light therapy (10,000 lux, 30 minutes twice daily) compared with control light.

The 83 enrolled participants with PD had on average moderate levels of depression, diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria; 19% of the evaluable 72 patients with ≥1 week of treatment were on antidepressants. Both groups demon…

Reviewing Author

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

For Depressed Parkinson Disease Patients, Bright Light Has No Added Benefit

Topics

Reviewing Author