FRIDAY, October 23, (News Locale) - People who spend prolonged time under artificial lights suffer from various symptoms of depression, a new study conducted by American researchers revealed.

Researchers from Ohio State University conducted the experiment on a group of 24 mice over a period of three weeks. One half of the mice were kept in a room that was illuminated for 24 hours while remaining mice was exposed to darkness for at least eight hours a day.

The mice cages were also provided with tubes, half of which were opaque and thereby allowing the mice to escape to darkness whenever they wanted while the other half was built with clear glass which allowed light to filter in.

The researchers found that while those mice which were kept in dark for some time during the day had no symptoms of depression, there was a disparity among the mice which were exposed to bright light throughout the day.

Those mice which were able to escape in the darkness of opaque tubes exhibited less number of depressive symptoms than those who were placed in cages fitted with transparent tubes.

Writing in the report which will be published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, lead researcher Laura Fonken said "The ability to escape light seemed to quell the depressive effects. But constant light with no chance of escape increased depressive symptoms.” She also added that the same effect could be found among humans.