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Strobe Light Effects on Animals

Strobe lights produce flashes of light that can be regulated at regular intervals. They are commonly used in the entertainment industry as theatrical lighting and as highly visible lighting for emergency vehicles and alarm systems. Strobe lights can induce seizures and interfere with hormone production in animals.

  1. Seizures Induced by Strobes

    • An article in the October 2009 issue of "Neuroscience" investigated the effects of strobe lights on lab rats related to seizures and changes in the physiology of the brain. The researchers found that exposed rats had a significantly increased sensitivity to light in the cerebral cortex which controls motor function. The authors concluded that the test animals were more susceptible to seizures after the treatment with strobe lights was discontinued than the control group.

    Stress Hormones

    • Fire alarms that uses strobe lights have an adverse effect on mice as can be indicated by measuring stress hormones from the animals. A study published in the February 2009 issue of "Lab Animal" documented the stress levels of mice exposed to such an alarm system. The researchers subjected male mice to a strobe light for intervals of five minutes and collected fecal samples before and after the treatment in order to measure the stress hormone corticosterone. The study found that, surprisingly, stress hormone levels did not increase significantly from levels measured before the treatment began.

    Effects on Reproduction

    • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, or HPA, pathway induces the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Elevated levels of cortisol can have detrimental effects on an unborn fetus, which can lead to premature birth and compromised reproductive health when the newborn reaches sexual maturity. A study appearing in the December 2008 issue of "Endocrinology" investigated the effects of prenatal stress on the female offspring of guinea pigs by testing their response to field tests and the abilities of the newborns to produce adequate amounts of hormone through the HPA pathway. The researchers exposed pregnant females to strobe lights during the period when their fetuses were going through a period of brain growth, day 50 to 52 of gestation. The study found that the experimental animals that were exposed to the light had significantly lower scores in the field test, had lower levels of estrogen and lower ovary weight, which indicates reproductive problems after they mature into adults.

    Effect of Strobe Lights on Communication

    • Tamarins are squirrel-sized New World monkeys that are indigenous to the rain forests of South America and are characterized by their loud calls used for communication among their familial groups. A study published in the August 2003 issue of the "Journal of Experimental Biology" investigated the effects of strobe lights on the monkeys' ability to communicate by producing "long calls," which are collections of many "syllables." The researchers used strobe lights to interfere with the calls made by the animals to discern their communication. The study found that exposure to strobe lights can inhibit the long calls of the animals, where they would complete only one syllable as opposed to the extended version of communication. The researchers concluded that tamarins will modify their vocal communication due to visual perturbations caused by strobe lights.

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