Yes, seasons affect how the brain works

Washington

ANYONE who's experienced falling spirits in autumn or a springtime bounce in the step knows that the changing seasons can affect mood. But can seasons affect the way your brain works overall? New research suggests that the answer is yes - and that time of year is just as important as time of day when it comes to how efficiently brains operate.

In a study published in the journal PNAS, scientists looked at the brain activity of participants deprived of seasonal cues over the course of a year and a half. Getting rid of seasonal cues is no small feat: During different time periods, participants slept eight hours in a completely dark room, then were deprived of sleep for 48 hours in a soundproof room with dim light and no way to tell the time of day. After a 12-hour sleep window, they were assigned two cognitive tasks, one for sustained attention and one for working memory. This went on for 4.5 days.