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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
Published on: June 18, 2014
High cortisol awakening response is associated with an impairment of the effect of bright light therapy
1Psychiatric Research Unit, Frederiksborg General Hospital, DK-3400 Hillerød, Denmark. kmar@noh.regionh.dk
Objective:
We investigated the predictive validity of the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in patients with non-seasonal major depression.
Method:
Patients were treated with sertraline in combination with bright or dim light therapy for a 5-week period. Saliva cortisol levels were measured in 63 patients, as an awakening profile, before medication and light therapy started. The CAR was calculated by using three time-points: awakening and 20 and 60 min after awakening.
Results:
Patients with low CAR had a very substantial effect of bright light therapy compared with dim light therapy, whereas patients with a high CAR had no effect of bright light therapy compared with dim light therapy.
Conclusion:
High CAR was associated with an impairment of the effect of bright light therapy. This result raises the question of whether bright light acts through a mechanism different from that of antidepressants.
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