深夜看電視、用電腦與憂鬱有關係
◎管淑平
Sitting in front of a computer or TV screen late into the night or leaving it on when you fall asleep could increase your chances of becoming depressed, according to a study by U.S. scientists.
根據美國科學家的一份研究，使用電腦或看電視到深夜，或者入睡時仍讓螢幕開著，可能增加你變得憂鬱的機會。
The study, by a team of neuroscientists at Ohio State University Medical Center, will give screen-addicted night owls pause for thought.
這份由俄亥俄州立大學醫學中心神經學家團隊進行的研究，將會讓用電腦、看電視上癮的夜貓子好好思考一下。
The researchers -- who exposed hamsters to dim light at night and picked up changes in behaviour and the brain that bore striking similarities to symptoms in depressed people -- said a surge in exposure to artificial light at night in the last 50 years had coincided with rising rates of depression, particularly among women, who are twice as prone as men.
研究人員讓倉鼠夜裡暴露在微弱燈光下，發現其行為和腦部變化與憂鬱症患者有明顯相似處。研究人員說，過去50年人們夜間暴露於人工照明的時間增加，與憂鬱症罹患率上升相符，尤其是女性，罹患憂鬱症的機率是男性的2倍。
The hamsters involved in the experiment were exposed for four weeks to dim light at night -- equivalent to a television screen in a darkened room -- and the results compared to a control group exposed to a normal light-dark cycle.
實驗中的倉鼠夜間暴露在相當於黑暗房間內所見電視螢幕亮度的微光下，如此持續4週，並把結果與正常日夜循環的對照組比較。
The results showed they were less active and had a lower than usual interest in drinking sugar water -- both symptoms are comparable to signs of depression in people. （Reuters）
結果顯示，牠們活動力較低，對於平常喜歡喝的糖水，也沒那麼感興趣，這兩種徵狀都相當於人的憂鬱症狀。（路透）
新聞辭典：
pick up：動詞片語，（偶然或輕鬆地）學到，發現；搭訕；恢復精神或健康；接、取（人或物）。例句：His father has picked up a lot after the surgery.（他父親在手術後已經好多了。）
striking：形容詞，驚人的、顯著的、不尋常的。例句：He has a striking good memory.（他的記憶力非常好。）
prone：形容詞，傾向於、易於。例句：She is prone to be moody.（她很容易情緒化。）
資料來源：自由時報電子報
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