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Article

Dissociating the Effects of Light at Night from Circadian Misalignment in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Mouse Model Using Ultradian Light–Dark Cycles

by
Sophia Anne Marie B. Villanueva
1,2,
Huei-Bin Wang
2,
Kyle Nguyen-Ngo
2,
Caihan Tony Chen
1,2,
Gemma Stark
1,2,
Gene D. Block
1,2,
Cristina A. Ghiani
2,3,* and
Christopher S. Colwell
2,*
1
Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
3
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Clocks & Sleep 2025, 7(3), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030048
Submission received: 9 July 2025 / Revised: 8 September 2025 / Accepted: 11 September 2025 / Published: 15 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Impact of Light & other Zeitgebers)
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Abstract

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often experience sleep disturbances and are frequently exposed to light during nighttime hours. Our previous studies using the Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Cntnap2) knockout (KO) mouse model of NDDs demonstrated that nighttime light exposure adversely affected behavioral measures. In this study, we exposed wild-type (WT) and Cntnap2 KO mice to an ultradian lighting cycle (T7), which alternates 3.5 h of light and 3.5 h of darkness, hypothesizing that this lighting protocol would mimic the impact of nighttime light exposure seen in standard light–dark cycles with dim light at night (DLaN). However, adult WT and Cntnap2 KO mice held under the T7 cycle did not show the increased grooming behavior or reduced social interaction observed in Cntnap2 KO mice exposed to DLaN. The T7 cycle lengthened the circadian period and weakened the rhythm amplitude without abolishing rhythmicity in either genotype. Finally, opposite to DLaN, neither the T7 cycle nor constant darkness (DD) elicited an increase in cFos expression in the basolateral amygdala. These results demonstrate that the adverse effects of nighttime light exposure in an NDD model depend on the extent of the circadian disruption rather than light exposure alone, emphasizing the importance of circadian stability as a protective factor in NDDs.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; circadian rhythms; Cntnap2 KO; locomotor activity; neurodevelopmental disorders; T7 lighting; ultradian lighting autism spectrum disorders; circadian rhythms; Cntnap2 KO; locomotor activity; neurodevelopmental disorders; T7 lighting; ultradian lighting

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MDPI and ACS Style

Villanueva, S.A.M.B.; Wang, H.-B.; Nguyen-Ngo, K.; Chen, C.T.; Stark, G.; Block, G.D.; Ghiani, C.A.; Colwell, C.S. Dissociating the Effects of Light at Night from Circadian Misalignment in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Mouse Model Using Ultradian Light–Dark Cycles. Clocks & Sleep 2025, 7, 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030048

AMA Style

Villanueva SAMB, Wang H-B, Nguyen-Ngo K, Chen CT, Stark G, Block GD, Ghiani CA, Colwell CS. Dissociating the Effects of Light at Night from Circadian Misalignment in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Mouse Model Using Ultradian Light–Dark Cycles. Clocks & Sleep. 2025; 7(3):48. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030048

Chicago/Turabian Style

Villanueva, Sophia Anne Marie B., Huei-Bin Wang, Kyle Nguyen-Ngo, Caihan Tony Chen, Gemma Stark, Gene D. Block, Cristina A. Ghiani, and Christopher S. Colwell. 2025. "Dissociating the Effects of Light at Night from Circadian Misalignment in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Mouse Model Using Ultradian Light–Dark Cycles" Clocks & Sleep 7, no. 3: 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030048

APA Style

Villanueva, S. A. M. B., Wang, H.-B., Nguyen-Ngo, K., Chen, C. T., Stark, G., Block, G. D., Ghiani, C. A., & Colwell, C. S. (2025). Dissociating the Effects of Light at Night from Circadian Misalignment in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Mouse Model Using Ultradian Light–Dark Cycles. Clocks & Sleep, 7(3), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030048

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