Positive effects of blue light on motor coordination in older adults: A pilot study

Purpose: Falls are a risk factor for mortality in older adults. Lighting interventions can improve cognitive and motor task performance, but the effect on postural control with relevance to falling is unknown. Methods: Sixteen older adults participated in an intervention study with blue-enriched light delivered visually and/or transcranially for 12 min. Postural control in three conditions (60s eyes-open, dual-task, and eyes-closed), lower-limb motor coordination, and cognitive function were assessed. Results: Relative to placebo, visual blue-enriched light improved reaction time in the motor coordination task by 0.073 +/- 0.035s (d = 0.77 +/- 0.39; p = 0.003). Visual exposure decreased Area of Sway relative to the combined (d = 0.38 +/- 0.26; p = 0.020) and placebo interventions (d = 0.47 +/- 0.42; p = 0.067), with no significant effect on cognition. Conclusion: Blue-enriched lighting demonstrates a novel approach to positively impact postural control and motor coordination in older adults. By impacting metrics associated with fall risk, light interventions may provide a clinical countermeasure to decrease the human costs of falls.