Slashdot Mirror
Human Brain Is Sensitive To Light In Ears
vuo writes "Finnish researchers have shown that the human brain contains photoreceptors that react to intracranial illumination. Light is provided through the ear canal with bright-light headsets by Valkee. These devices, much like earphones or should we say 'earlumes,' are registered medical devices. Retinal illumination or bright-light therapy has been previously assumed to be the only way light indirectly affects brains. Light therapy helps with mood swings, seasonal affective disorder, jetlag and other circadian rhythm disruptions."
When they shined a light in my ear :-)
The source article is posted on "PR Newswire".
This is a self published document by the company that creates and promotes the Valkee product.
I am in no position to comment on the legitimacy of the product or the efficacy of it's claims, and neither is anyone else here given the complete uselessness of the article presented.
At least link to the "scientific" article that they have on their website, which is more appropriate for this audience:
http://www.valkee.com/uk/Valkee_Poster_Presentation-Human_Brain_Photosensitiveness_May2011.pdf
I cannot tell if the above whitepaper is peer reviewed or what.
Oh glorious, glorious slashvertisements.
And the worms ate into his brain.
OK, someone please tell me why I would need to spend nearly $300 USD to shine 2 white LEDs in my ear? Awaiting a schematic and a parts list of what is needed to build this. Oh 3 AA's wired to pair of in-ear headphones with the coil and diaphragm replaced by an LED on each side.
Now someone tell me that this really works, that shining light i my ear is going to change my mood and outlook on life. Why on earth would the inside of our ears ever develop light sensitivity? I am smelling snake oil burning on the wick while the guy in the dirty traveling salesman suit stands on a crate in front of his horse.
An 1998 article in Science claimed there were photoreceptors there and helped alleviate jet lag. I dont know if scientists have followed this up. But its become urban legend now.
Curious what this means for people who can't see...?
is it sensitive to a reverse cranial insertion therapy?
... then headphones are making us all crazy! Hmm, actually...
So a bright light is expected to travel down the ear canal - cross the several membranes between the ear and the brain and have a measurable effect on your brain (even assuming that the photoreceptors ARE there). I'm buying it just as much as the Browser IQ article from earlier.
I want to see some peer review first
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
Think of the awkward clinical trials...
I'm quite certain you can't see the brain by looking in through the ear canal.
Are you? If you press your palm against a strong flashlight, I bet you can see some illumination on the skin in the back of your hand as human tissue isn't that effective in blocking the light... If shining light to your brain really has some positive effect, it seems really plausible that powerful light deep in your ear might work!
That said, I've seen these products before (I live in Finland) and remember thinking "Yeah. Right. Seems as scientific as ab tronic".
That would have been a better title for this article.
FTS:
These devices, much like earphones or should we say 'earlumes,' are registered medical devices.
WTF? Where, in Singapore?
Oh, I see, it has CE certification as a 'medical device' for sale in Europe. Well, nice to see the US isn't the only country lowering the bar for snake oil salesmen everywhere...(yes, those magnetic bracelet-thingies are registered under MHRA as 'medical devices')
frig.
"I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
Of course:
Q: how do you make a light shine in a blonde's eyes?
A: you point a flash light at her ear.
So what's to stop me from sticking a couple of AAA-size maglites in my ears for a while and calling it good?
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
... when its host has a hole in its head that needs patching up.
You mean along the same line as garbage like Light Relief?
Surely they mean heat. That I will believe. Slashdot is sliding into the abyss a little further every day. Well it's not just slashdot - ever since they brought internet access to the trailer parks, there's been a change. And the law of averages and the law of large numbers means that the future does not look bright for us nerds.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
After seeing this I was really excited and ready to order. But that's because I have the worst possible form of SAD. Even in the SF bay area I am miserable for a couple months or so of the rainy season. I'd pay way more than $300 to avoid the energy drain.
As a sufferer I can tell you that it's not just the self-funded and published nature that is suspicious. It's also the timing. I get really antsy as winter starts to get close. There's plenty of summer weather left here but there's less time in say, Finland. I also noticed that Valkee launched its product in August last year.
Sadly, there's no cure for SAD. It's something you have to learn to manage and live with. Essentially all research into it was stopped once it was discovered that light therapy works for most people and drugs don't. So it's unlikely that anyone will prove or disprove the study here. It's also unlikely that we will see anything less biased either. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't.
I know shining light in your ear sounds really stupid but if you are sick and miserable you will try anything to get better. I don't know about the ear but I do find normal light therapy to be insufficient. That reminds me to get out and take a nice walk in the sunshine!
No, we should not say "earlumes". Please, no.
A republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
I guess I can sit down again.
Well, light might go into yours, but I'm pretty sure the sun shines out of mine!
Ahh - My eye!
The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
The brain needs the light, keep your hair shorter to prevent shadows!
My childhood radio experience was with crystal radios in the AM band, and I was a little slow in discovering that store-bought radios also had an FM band, where you could actually hear music fairly clearly, even passing under a bridge. Shortly thereafter, I heard that song. Again and again, and discovered the concept of "overplaying."
If they were going to overplay something, why not the theme from Rocky, or Star Wars?
Physicians and biologists have known for a long tine that the pineal gland (epiphysis), which is a remnant of the "third eye" still present in some reptiles, contains active photoreceptors and regulates hormonal circadian rhythms by detecting light that is filtered through the back of the eye.
Perhaps the sun should shine up there.
Have gnu, will travel.
Using the reciprocity principle I am now convinced I can hear with my eyes.
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
Well, light might go into yours
That his orifice captures light?
Like a... black hole?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
This reminds me of the ganglion photoreceptors in the eyes (not rods or cones) they have a lower wavelength absorption peak of ~480nm (blueish) and they are very few compared to the other receptors. They contribute to vision slightly, but their primary role is suspected to be other things like helping to regulate circadian rhythms (i.e. body clock).
There was an interesting BBC Horizon programme recently that touched on this subject, "Do You See What I See?", which was primarily exploring colour perception in general. One specific part (where they talk about ganglion cells), they show a bar who's "Light Designer" used blue light of timed intensity to make people more lively in the evening... this is thought to be because that wavelength of light activates the ganglion cells and alters the mood and alertness of people.
I suppose this could do the same if there were the same or similar types of cells in the ears or brain, but honestly... you could probably achieve more stimulating effects by closely staring at a 20 pence 470nm LED
I just heard what you said there.
And the optic-hearing apparently works long distance as well. What a glorious day for science this is.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
I've noticed for years now that if I shine the light of an optical mouse in my ear, even with my eyes closed, even with someone else doing it with my eyes closed, I hear a high-frequency ring only at the times the light is shining in my ears.
But I don't know if this is because of the effect described in TFA or something to do with the engineering of optical mice.
when I could see music flowing out of the speakers.
âoeIn theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." â Albert Einstein
You aren't going to get useful amounts of light to the brain through the ears! Worse, what light you do get will be all dim and orange/reddish, and throw your circadian rhythms for a loop because you think it is sunset all the time. Worthless.
Here, just for my Slashdot friends, is the secret to really showing 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' who is boss:
Simply passing electrons through the cerebrospinal and intracellular fluids of the brain at a speed greater than that of light within those media will bathe the brain in a lovely, broad-spectrum, delicate blue glow. This will stimulate photo-receptors that aural lighting cannot hope to reach.
Unfortunately, due to high costs and a coverup by the alarm-clock/industrial complex, you may have to sneak into a nearby university or DOE laboratory in order to use a linear accelerator of sufficient power. While Cherenkov radiation can also restore vigor to the scalp and reverse balding, you need energy sufficient to pass through the skull in order to see circadian benefits.
This scam appeared in Finland over a year ago. :) Metku.net even made a DIY version of it.
Think of the odd new appliances if enough people end up convinced it's true!
People have been claiming this for quite a while. In fact, many Stop Smoking clinics shine lasers in people's ears which triggers something which removes the urge to smoke. Or so I hear, I have no clue whether or not this technique actually works.
~Syberz
I remember reading not too long ago about using infrared light to stimulate the hair cells or nerves in the ear.. it was thought that using an infrared laser could work better than the current electrode method of a Cochlear Implant.
I listen to sounds of nature on my headphones at work. I use a program called Ambiance (Adobe Air app) that lets me mix various field recordings, which keeps me more alert than coffee, and drowns out the blabbering of my cubicle neighbors. It also helps my mood, as it usually sounds like a Spring afternoon.
This has me thinking -- can I add some sort of lights source into my headphones? They're full ear-covering headphones, so I could produce a lot of light in them without affecting those around me, or much of it leaking out.
Does anyone know of a decent small, battery-powered light source I could do some testing with?
It has already been shown that areas other than the eyeballs respond to visible light below the obvious intensity of feeling heat (that is, not talking about bright sunlight). This may be a new specific point, but the general idea is not surprising. As for SAD and light therapy, I believe this is one of the things that - like allergies and food sensitivities - is very idiosyncratic and hard to standardize. But then, so is taste.