CI

At a glance

ClinicalIndex Comparison Record
Phase 2Active· 168 enrolled
Drug / intervention
Active NIR-PBM +1 moredevice
Likely dose
Not stated in record
Structured eligibility isn't available for this trial yet — see the full criteria in the Eligibility tab below.

Standardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.

Search/NCT04018092
NCT04018092Phase 2Active

Revitalizing Cognition in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease With Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation

University of Florida·interventional·Posted Jul 12, 2019·Updated Oct 9, 2025

In Brief

A Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Active NIR-PBM and Sham NIR-PBM for Cognitive Aging and Alzheimer Disease, Protection Against. Active but no longer recruiting, targeting 168 participants across 2 sites.

Detailed Summary

The goal of this multi-site double blinded randomized sham-controlled Phase II clinical trial is to test a novel, relatively low cost, low risk, and potentially high impact therapeutic intervention in older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. The intervention involves transcranial and intranasal delivery of near infrared (NIR) light via light emitting diodes, aka photobiomodulation (PBM). The overall hypothesis, based on animal and pilot studies, is that exposure to NIR stimulation will have beneficial effects on brain health via influence on mitochondrial function as measured by changes in 31Phosphorous (31P) MRS-based markers of ATP, neural network changes in functional connectivity (rs-fMRI), and improved cognitive performance. To test this hypothesis, 168 older adults with subjective cognitive complaints, and a first-degree family history of Alzheimer's disease will be randomized to sham or real treatment groups. Neuroimaging and cognitive outcome measures will be obtained, before and after a 12-week intervention involving transcranial and intranasal NIR-PBM. The intervention protocol will involve "lab" and "home" sessions, and a 3 month post-intervention follow-up. This trial will determine: 1) whether NIR stimulation, relative to sham, improves performance on memory and executive tasks sensitive to hippocampal and frontal brain function in older adults with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease; 2) whether NIR stimulation, relative to sham, enhances brain function and connectivity measured by changes in MRS phosphorous ATP and resting state functional connectivity; and 3) how differences in demographic, neuroimaging, and Alzheimer-related risk factors influence the brain response to NIR stimulation versus sham in older adults with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. Results will provide key insights into whether this novel NIR intervention can enhance cognition in older adults with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and will provide the necessary data for a future Phase III randomized clinical trial.

Study Details

Study Typeinterventional
Allocation--
Masking--
Primary Purpose--
CountriesUnited States

Timeline

Phase 2ActiveOverdue
2020202120222023202420252026
First PostedJul 12, 2019
Enrollment StartAug 12, 2020
Primary CompletionAug 7, 2024
Study CompletionJun 30, 2026
TodayJul 2, 2026
Enrollment to primary: 4.0 yearsPosted 7.0 years ago

Interventions

Active NIR-PBMdevice

Near infrared light was delivered to the head using two MedX Rehab Console systems (MedX Health, 1116). Each MedX console included a control unit and 3 superluminous light emitting diode (LED) clusters. Each LED cluster (3MedX MCT502) consisted of 52 near infrared diodes and 9 visible red diodes. The 9 red diodes were deactivated. The energy delivered by each cluster was 1 joule \[J\]/cm2 in 45 sec at treatment wavelength of 870 nm per each 20 min. The LED cluster has an irradiance of 22.2 mW/cm2, treats an area of 22.48 cm2, with an energy density of 26.64/cm2 per cluster (total energy of 599J/cluster). During each session, the 6 clusters were arrayed on the scalp in 2 configurations, 20 minutes per array. Each configuration targeted 6 transcranial sites, guided by the 10-20 system, for a total of 12 sites during the 40-min session. Total energy delivered was 599J/cluster X 12 sites = 7188J. Intranasal stimulation was delivered using..

Sham NIR-PBMdevice

The MedX sham and Vielight interventions device are identical in all respects to the active device, except that the MedX console and diode clusters were modified to NOT deliver NIR light when turned on. The sham MedX devices were modified to deliver 'warmth', similar to that of the active devices. As with the active condition, a total of six sham interventions were given over a 12-week period, following the identical procedures described in the active condition