Bright light therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression in focal epilepsy: randomised controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the efficacy of bright light therapy for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with focal epilepsy.
Results Summary
Light therapy significantly reduced anxiety and depression scores in both high- and low-intensity groups, with no significant difference between the two intensities. The findings suggest light therapy may be effective for mood symptoms in epilepsy at lower intensities than those used for seasonal affective disorder.
Population
Adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy (101 participants, 58 completed the trial).
Effective Dosage
High-intensity and low-intensity light boxes (specific lux values not provided), daily use.
Duration
12 weeks of daily light therapy following a 12-week baseline period.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bright light therapy | decrease | anxiety scores | adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy | - | significantly reduced | #1 |
bright light therapy | decrease | depression scores | adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy | - | significantly reduced | #2 |
high-intensity light box | no change | symptoms of anxiety and depression | adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy | - | no differences between high- v. low-intensity treatment | #3 |
low-intensity light box | no change | symptoms of anxiety and depression | adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy | - | no differences between high- v. low-intensity treatment | #4 |
BACKGROUND: Bright light therapy is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder and non-seasonal depression. Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy. AIMS: To examine the efficacy of bright light therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with focal epilepsy (trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01028456). METHOD: We recruited 101 adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at the beginning (T1) and end of a 12-week baseline period (T2) and again after 12 weeks of daily light therapy (T3), with 51 participants using a high-intensity light box and 50 using a low-intensity one. Seizure diaries were kept throughout the baseline and trial period. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients completed the trial. Anxiety and depression scores were significantly reduced following the light therapy at T3 in both the high- and low-intensity groups. CONCLUSIONS: Light therapy resulted in a significant reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression but we did not find any differences between high- v. low-intensity treatment. This may, therefore, be an effective treatment for symptoms of low mood in epilepsy at lower intensities than those typically used to treat seasonal affective disorder. Further work is needed to investigate this possibility with an adequate placebo condition.