A recent study from the Radboudumc in the Netherlands shows that there is a relationship between sunlight and dopamine production. It seems yet another confirmation of the importance of outdoor activities for people with PD, as I have experienced experimentally myself this summer (and so far), with a latest update in "summertime". Researcher Chris Vriend talks about his team's findings in the magazine of the Dutch parkinson's association:
“To diagnose Parkinson's disease, brain scans are sometimes taken to see how intact the dopamine system is. For this, a substance is introduced into the bloodstream that can bind to the 'dopamine transporter' located in dopamine brain cells and recycle dopamine after release (to communicate with other brain cells) so that it can be used again. Besides parkinson's, other factors affect how many of these dopamine transporters are present in the brain, such as age and gender. Recently, we investigated whether exposure to sunlight might also affect the amount of dopamine transporters.
We found that people who had been exposed to more sunlight in the month before the scan (for example, because they underwent the scan in the summer months) showed higher binding of the compound to dopamine transporters than people who had been exposed to less sunlight. This was true both for people with Parkinson's disease and those without. We also saw that people who underwent the scan in a hospital with a lower latitude (read: closer to the equator) showed higher binding; probably because the sun shines more frequently towards the equator. These results suggest that exposure to sunlight may affect the dopamine system. To what extent exposure to (more) sunlight also affects parkinsonian symptoms we did not investigate in this study.”
Dopamine Transporter Availability in Early Parkinson's Disease is Dependent on Sunlight Exposure, Jan Booij, Sem P Tellier, John Seibyl, Chris Vriend, Movement Disorders, 2023 Sep 5,
I would say I feel better after Summer....and i felt the biggest difference few years ago when i jumped from the central European winter to the Canary Islands for couple weeks... After 3 weeks daily exposure to the sun I felt like new person.. generally I don't feel very good in summer because the hot weather I feel exhausted.
That pattern seems familiar to me. Perhaps the winter dip is also recognisable to others? We leave for Spain in a few days to extend the remarkable « summertime » experience ☀️
Gomelgo you don’t have to move to the coast in order to get more sunlight for your Parkinson's treatment. While it's true that sunlight can be beneficial, it's not just about the visible light, but also the infrared light and the combination with the natural environment that can have optimal effects, as shown in the inspiring video by Dr. Seheult.
Thank you. The video is not working, and I agree about the infrared. But moving to the coast is way more fun and natural sunlight is way more appealing. I could get myself an infrared gadget for rainy days though.
Based on these findings, it may be inderdaad advisable for PD to ensure an adequate intake of vitamin D in their diet or through supplements. This can be achieved, among other ways, by spending more time outdoors and getting exposure to sunlight since the skin synthesizes vitamin D in response to sunlight. Thank you for this indeed related and complementary research!
The following study suggests that men who work outdoors have a reduced risk for PD and mention that vitamin D may be a potential mechanism of action at work :
' Our findings suggest that men working outdoors have a lower risk for Parkinson’s disease. Further studies of measured vitamin D levels in outdoor workers are warranted to clarify a potential inverse association between vitamin D and the risk for Parkinson’s disease. '
What they didn't mention is that that same sun exposure can double melatonin levels :
' Daylight exposure significantly affected morning melatonin from 25.39 pg/ml to 59.77 pg/ml (P=0.001) and night melatonin were changed from 40.30pg/ml to 34.41pg/ml (P=0.081). Mean score of general health changed 36.31 to 29.89 (P=0.003). Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) showed increase sleepiness and decrease alertness from 3:00 to 7:00 a.m. Sleepiness decreased and alertness increased during 1:00 p.m. and 20:00 p.m. '
Improved sleep is also good for better health.
' Daylight exposure could delay sleep phase and correction of circadian rhythm in elderly. Anxiety and insomnia could be improved with daylight exposure. It suggests that elders should be exposed to scheduled daylight in morning and evening for prevention and improvement of mental disorders. Adequate light should be provided for elder’s homes and nursing house. '
Near infrared light from sunlight exposure also improves mitochondrial function as discussed here :
' Near-infrared light is invisible long-wavelength (wavelengths from 650 nm to 1200 nm) light that can penetrate tissues, and near-infrared light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, has been shown to benefit the mitochondria most. For example, near-infrared light from sunlight or artificial sources stimulates the production of melatonin in the mitochondria where it has antioxidant effects (i.e. reducing oxidative stress). Melatonin exerts a myriad of health benefits such as:
stabilizing the mitochondria by triggering mitophagy and apoptosis
promotes the activity of the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) which enhances mitochondrial uptake of pyruvate resulting in the production of acetyl coenzyme A, a necessary co-factor for melatonin synthesis increases mitochondrial biogenesis (production of more mitochondria) in stem cells
On the other hand, Acetyl-CoA in the mitochondria is a co-factor for the enzyme involved in melatonin synthesis N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), which enables adequate melatonin production in the mitochondria of normal cells.
The mutual relationship between melatonin and the mitochondria is very important for our health as it controls the amount of ROS inside the mitochondria so it doesn’t get out of control and thus helps keep healthy cells (eye, skin, etc) alive. Fun fact: mitochondria originated from melatonin-producing bacteria. Yet another reason to not hate microbes.'
Sunlight can also increase dopamine levels as discussed here :
' While the effects of sunlight on dopamine levels are not as widely reported as its effects on serotonin, studies have shown that exposure to sunlight can trigger the release of dopamine as well. '
I feel that it is a mistake to spend less and less time outdoors as we age. Perhaps we should be more like children who spend much of their time outdoors. The sunlight at the right time and length can be health promoting!
Hubbies MdS is now recommending melatonin during the day as well as at night, which I’m nervous about (don’t want him to sleep even more during the day!)
Is the study you mention suggesting that you should have the highest level of melatonin in the morning?
A year ago the MDS of your husband recommended a rather drastic lifestyle change, quite unusually, including “More time in sunlight and try FIR sauna with red light panels….” Did he apply this and has the whole package resulted in the predicted improvement?
Hasn’t touched the main PD and psychosis/extreme dopamine sensitivity as far as I can tell.
It (and we went to a more extreme AIP diet) does seem to have improved bowel movements and urine bacteria, both of which could have killed him by now.
We just got a bunch of really interesting test results showing possible iron overload and a GI map showing h pylori is still high and he has the desulfobrio bacteria known to cause PD, so maybe if we go after this and fiddle with the melatonin and some other supplements we can get somewhere.
Melatonin peak is approximately reached around 1:00 to 2:00 am. In the morning melatonin level is already dropping off. I think they just chose that point to measure in the study.
If the MdS is suggesting melatonin during the day, he/she must feel your husband's condition is such that the benefit could be more beneficial than disrupting the circadian rhythm. Similarly I would take melatonin around the clock if I had something like Covid-19, cancer or other serious health concern such as a heart attack or stroke where taking melatonin as soon as possible after the eventhas shown the most significant benefit in human studies. This is what they did in the two 50 mg melatonin studies in people with PD, giving 25 mg during the day and 25 mg at night, to good effect.
' The melatonin-placebo group received 25 mg melatonin at noon and 30 minutes before bedtime for three months, followed for four days without treatment (washout period), and then received 25 mg of placebo at noon and 30 min before bed for three months. '
Art
Normalization of elevated oxidative stress in people with PD
Ah, the doctor explained daytime melatonin to us today…it’s if you are taking high dose niacin you can take melatonin to counter the flushing symptoms.
« I feel that it is a mistake to spend less and less time outdoors as we age. Perhaps we should be more like children who spend much of their time outdoors. The sunlight at the right time and length can be health promoting! » That does indeed seem to me to be an appropriate conclusion after reading the research results of these very interesting studies. However I do have the impression that the children nowadays stay even more indoors than most elderly people... 😉
Unfortunately for the kids, you are correct. Kids are spending more time inside and it is mainly attributed to technology. I should have been more specific and said, "when we were kids" or "when our parents were kids."
There is evidence that there may be a link between the distance to the equator and the prevalence of Parkinson's disease. Research suggests that regions further from the equator may have a higher incidence and prevalence of the disease. This has led to research into possible factors such as sunlight exposure and vitamin D levels that may play a role in the development of the disease. More research is needed to establish a definitive causal relationship and fully understand the underlying mechanisms. This is difficult due to external co-factors such as nutrition, pesticides and air pollution that vary greatly by country and region. At MS, such research has been done and per latitude (111 km) increase in distance from the equator was associated with a month decrease in age at onset of MS symptoms.
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