Ladenburg Roundtable

Light exposure – the influence of natural or artificial light on an individual – has a significant impact on human health and well-being. Light regulates certain physiological functions: This is one of the many findings of research from recent decades. For example, it has been determined that exposure to blue light in the evening can disrupt sleep by impairing the production of the hormone melatonin, which controls the organism’s day-night rhythm.

With this new knowledge of neurobiological interrelationships, practical application is also gaining importance. In 2018, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE – Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage) published a new international standard for quantifying the influence of light on human physiology, beyond the mere function of vision. The first international consensus recommendations were published four years later.

Practical application of these findings is faced with various obstacles, however, such as the need to define clear limits and guidelines. While the non-visual effects of light under controlled laboratory conditions have been characterized in detail, the evidence base under field or real-world conditions is still relatively sparse. The Ladenburg Roundtable “Light for health and well-being – from the biological fundamentals to policy” therefore focused on filling the gaps in knowledge between basic and applied research. The discussion was led by Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan from the Technical University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen.

From April 14 to 16, 2024 around 20 international experts convened in Ladenburg to present their work with a view to clarifying open questions in this field. They focused on clear and structured procedures for advancing knowledge of this matter. Communication measures and options for further cooperation were also discussed, in order to make the complex biological mechanisms accessible to a wide range of interest groups. A white paper and further publications are currently under preparation.