C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y RECORD January 26, 2001 5
Preserving A Neighborhood: Columbia Uncovers and Restores Morningside History
Another Blum & Blumbuilding on Riverside Drive,where the finest turn-of-the-century residences face theadjacent park, was another dis-covery of history by Scott. Inthe dark lobby, the plain plasterwalls seemed to be in starkcontrast to the magnificence ofthe building’s entrance and pol-ished green and gray marblefloors.
Knowing what the architectswere capable of, Scott set outto find the lobby’s originaldesign and discovered itbeneath layers of gray plasterwalls. The simple, recessedtrim that lined each wall panelhad been hidden for years.Paint analysis revealed that thewalls had been painted in abrown faux stone finish. Scotthad the trim recast from theoriginal. Today the lobbylooks the way it did when itopened its doors in 1911.
“Most of our buildings arethe original structures con-structed in the neighborhoodand are thus part of the collec-tive memory of MorningsideHeights. They are also the facewe show to the world and it isa pleasure to be part of the Uni-versity’s effort to restore andpreserve them,” said Scott.
Preserving the MorningsideHeights’ historical heritagebecame policy in 1996, whenthe University embarked on aproject that has become a guidefor historic preservation and
contextual development in thearea. The MorningsideHeights, A Framework forPlanning, which chronicles twoyears of conversation amonghistorians, preservationists,architects and administrators,outlines the heritage of theneighborhood and Columbia’sMcKim, Mead and White cam-pus.
Kent, who has watched theUniversity with skepticismover the years, said, “It is rightthat this great Universityshould recognize its environsand set an example as a leaderin preservation.”
The lionheads on this cornice at445 Riverside Drive, above, area replica of the decaying origi-nals that were replaced.Replacement windows at 539112th Street, left, replicate thestyle and color of the originaldesign, accenting the decorativebuilding facade. At right, therenovated lobby of 454 River-side Drive. The existing moldingwas removed and the originalreverse bead-and-reel moldingand faux stone finish wasrestored.
RECORD PHOTOS BY EILEEN BARROSO
Individualized Timing Is Key to Success of Light Therapy for Winter DepressionSynchronizing light therapy
with a person’s biological clockdoubles its effectiveness as atreatment for winter depression,researchers at Columbia’s Col-lege of Physicians and Sur-geons have demonstrated.
In a study published in theJan. 15 issue of the Archives ofGeneral Psychiatry, the team ofMichael and Jiuan Su Termanmeasured the plasma melatoninpattern in 42 patients with sea-sonal affective disorder (SAD)before and after they receivedbright light therapy. Treatmentwas administered for 30 min-utes a day using a specializedhigh-intensity light box madefor this purpose. The precisetreatment time for each patient,in the morning or evening, wasmeasured relative to each indi-vidual’s evening onset of mela-tonin production by the pinealgland, which lies deep withinthe brain.
Previously, researchers hadhypothesized that people withSAD suffered from a delay intheir circadian rhythms duringthe winter. But the Termansfound that the melatonin cycleof patients can occur early, late,or in between.
“You cannot conclude thatthese patients as a group sufferfrom a circadian phase delaythat causes their depression,”said Michael Terman, professorof clinical psychology (in psy-chiatry) at Columbia’s Collegeof Physicians and Surgeons.Terman directs the WinterDepression Program, estab-lished in 1984, at the New York
State Psychiatric Institute(NYSPI). Instead, he explained,“People are falling asleep toosoon after their melatonin onset,and their biological clock needsto be shifted earlier to make thecorrection.”
While morning light treat-ment pushes internal clocks for-ward, evening treatment pushesthem back. Patients whoseclocks were pushed forward thefarthest in the study experiencedthe strongest response to thera-
py. The researchers found thattreatment timed 8.5 hours aftermelatonin onset was by far themost effective at pushing theclock forward and relievingdepression.
“Melatonin onset varies by upto four hours between individu-als and serves as an anchorpoint to specify the optimumtime of light administration,”Terman says. “If treatment isappropriately early in circadiantime, it is twice as effective as
later in the morning or in theevening. The contrast in remis-sion rates is dramatic—approxi-mately 80 percent vs. 35 per-cent —and the lower rate can besuspected to be nothing morethan a placebo effect.”
Currently, melatonin onset ismeasured by testing saliva sam-ples taken throughout theevening. Although this assay isstill only available as a researchtool, doctors and patients canestimate the optimum time for
light therapy by closely examin-ing the depressed patient’ssleeping pattern. The Termansfound that regardless of theamount of sleep, its midpointfalls about six hours after mela-tonin onset.
“We can rewrite the prescrip-tion for timing light therapy inrelation to habitual sleep. Thebest response occurs when lightis taken promptly upon waking2.5 to 3.5 hours after the mid-point of the depressed patient’ssleep cycle,” Terman says.“Short sleepers will use thelights around the time of normalwaking, while longer sleeperswill need to wake up earlier.”
Terman notes that the implica-tions of these findings gobeyond SAD treatment. Theeffectiveness of many drugs—for example, antihypertensives,antiasthmatics, and chemothera-py agents—vary with the time ofday. “The importance for medi-cine as a whole is that you haveto anchor your manipulations tothe individual patient’s circadianphase, not to a standard externalclock time,” he says. This“inside out” approach stands instark contrast to dosing sched-ules that neglect the patient’soscillating state.
The research by the Termansis supported by the NationalInstitute of Mental Health.Information about clinical trialsis available at http://www.light-and-ion-therapy.org.
—Office of External Rela-tions, Columbia UniversityHealth Sciences Division, [email protected]
Columbia-designed therapeutic lighting system for winter depression. This apparatus serves to synchro-nize our body’s internal circadian rhythm. Health, mood and behavior can be affected when the qualityand quantity of sunlight is lessened because of winter days, cloudy skies or urban living. (Photo courtesyof Gary Regester, www.sphereone.com.)
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