Effects of Temporal Light Modulation on Cognitive Performance,Eye Movements, and Brain Function

Temporal light modulation (TLM) describes variations in light output from a light source or lighting system and can be a characteristic of their normal operation. TLM at 100 or 120 Hz can disrupt eye movements and reduce visual performance compared to 40 kHz, but little is known of the effects between those frequencies. Such evidence could provide the basis for lighting product and application standards to support the development of energy-efficient lighting systems. This repeated-measures experiment compared the effects of three stimuli (no TLM [DC], 100 Hz, and 500 Hz [both rectangular-wave, 100% modulation depth, 50% duty cycle]) on state anxiety, eye movements (blinks, saccades, fixations, and pupil size), cognitive performance (Stroop task and sentence reading speed), and visual event-related potentials (ERPs). Post-processing of EEG data included dipole source analysis and estimates of source dipole strength. TLM at 100 Hz was associated with larger pupil sizes and greater ERP dipole strength during 100 Hz exposure than no TLM, particularly in the right hemisphere. Cognitive interference was lower for 500 Hz TLM than 100 Hz. State anxiety was unaffected. The addition of TLM to the light source signal increased arousal and altered brain activity; at the highest frequency tested here this reduced cognitive interference. Arousal theory and stochastic facilitation can provide possible explanations.