ABSTRACT

Korsakoff Syndrome (KS) is commonly associated with behavioural symptoms such as agitation, apathy, and disinhibition. People with KS often reside in long-term care facilities, which reduces their exposure to natural light. Little is known regarding positive effects of light intervention in KS. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of a dawn simulation therapy on behavioural symptoms in KS. 38 patients residing in a 24-hour care facility were exposed for 6 weeks to a dawn simulation system in their bedrooms, which gradually increased from 0 lux to 290 lux. Behavioural symptoms were measured over 9 weeks. Weeks 1–3 consisted of the baseline phase and weeks 3–9 consisted of the light intervention phase. Our study showed that total severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms was less prominent during light intervention. More specifically, a decrease on the apathy, disinhibition, behaviour at night and appetite and eating behaviour subscales was found during the light intervention phase compared to the baseline phase. Additionally, a significant effect was found on decreasing emotional distress for caregivers. Results suggest that light intervention therapy has a positive effect on reducing behavioural symptoms in KS as well as the levels of stress experienced by the patients’ caregivers.

摘要

柯萨科夫综合征 (KS) 通常与行为症状有关，例如激动、冷漠和去抑制。患有 KS 的人经常居住在长期护理机构中，这减少了他们接触自然光的机会。关于光干预对 KS 的积极影响知之甚少。我们的目标是评估黎明模拟疗法对 KS 行为症状的影响。居住在 24 小时护理机构中的 38 名患者在其卧室中暴露于黎明模拟系统 6 周，该系统从 0 勒克斯逐渐增加到 290 勒克斯。在 9 周内测量了行为症状。第 1-3 周由基线阶段组成，第 3-9 周由轻度干预阶段组成。我们的研究表明，在轻度干预期间，神经精神症状的总体严重程度不那么突出。进一步来说，与基线阶段相比，在轻度干预阶段发现冷漠、去抑制、夜间行为以及食欲和饮食行为分量表有所减少。此外，还发现对减少照顾者的情绪困扰有显着影响。结果表明，光干预疗法对减轻 KS 患者的行为症状以及患者护理人员所经历的压力水平具有积极作用。