Light affects not only how we see but also how our body functions: it influences sleep, alertness, and hormone rhythms. This research explores how sex hormones (e.g., oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone) change our sensitivity to light. We test how light affects pupil responses and the hormone melatonin in women with natural menstrual cycles, women taking the contraceptive pill, and men.

Carolina Guidolin is a PhD student the Translational Sensory Circadian Neuroscience laboratory (Max Planck Institute) and TUM in...