Exposure to light may help sufferers of Alzheimer's disease regain sleep-cycle rhythms and may reduce the need for institutional care, researchers said Wednesday.

Data from Dutch and Japanese studies released at the Sixth International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease showed that patients who received two hours of bright light therapy for a month registered improvements in sleep and in body temperature. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior.

Circadian Clues