双语：芬兰研发亮光“iPod”助人驱除冬日忧郁.doc

双语：芬兰研发亮光“iPod”助人驱除冬日忧郁 2011年11月11日08:49 Ears an idea: The effects of seasonal affective disorder could be combated by channeling light to the brain down the ear duct As the nights get longer, those who suffer from the winter blues will be planning ways to escape to the sunshine. But there may be a much simpler way of cheering yourself up... simply shining a bright light into your ear canal. Up to one in four Britons suffer from seasonal affective disorder, with seven percent of the population having?full-blownSAD. It is caused by the brain not receiving enough daylight which is needed to triggerserotonin, a hormone that regulates mood. Symptoms range from mild?lethargyto depression and?insomnia, but a cure might be in sight. Two clinical trials, run by Valkee - who make a device that can shine light into your ear - and the University of Oulu in Finland, have found that carefully targeted light can help prevent the condition. Juuso Nissil , Valkees co-founder and chief scientist said: We presented earlier that the human brain is sensitive to light. These two clinical trials demonstrate that channeling bright light via ear canal into brainsphotosensitiveareas effectively prevents and treats seasonal affective disorder. The University of Oulu reported that in their first study, 92 percent of the patients with seasonal affective disorder achieved full?remissionafter a month of daily eight-to-12 minute doses of light from the Valkee. Timo Takala, chief physician at the Oulu Deaconess Institute said: These two trials show that bright light channeled into the brain via ear canal is an important future method to treat seasonal affective disorder. Valkee launched its bright-light headset in August 2010. It is classed as a medical device under EU regulations. The device channels bright light direct to the brain via the ear canal to prevent and cure depression, mood swings and even?circadian-rhythmdisorders such as?jetlag. It costs ā185 and looks like an iPod - only the earph