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Effectiveness of Light for Enhancement of Cognition by Transcranial Repeated Application (ELECTRA)

Effectiveness of Light for Enhancement of Cognition by Transcranial Repeated Application (ELECTRA): a Placebo-Controlled Study of Efficacy, Tolerability and Acceptability in Healthy Adult Volunteers

Status
Completed
Phases
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02817061
Acronym
ELECTRA
Enrollment
80
Registered
2016-06-29
Start date
2018-03-27
Completion date
2019-09-01
Last updated
2026-03-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Disease Type and/or Category Not Applicable

Keywords

no keywords for disease type and/or category

Brief summary

Aim: Investigate whether transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) using near-infrared light exposure to the head, can improve frontal lobe executive function, working memory and overall mood in normal volunteer participants. Hypothesis: The investigators predict that tPBM will increase cognitive functioning, as measured by Cambridge Cognition cognitive testing in study subjects.

Detailed description

Photobiomodulation (PBM), also called low-level light therapy (LLLT), uses optical power densities less than 100 mW/cm², and usually in the red (600-700 nm) or near infrared (NIR) 780-1000 nm wavelength range. Different light sources (coherent lasers or non-coherent LEDs) used for PBM have been shown to produce beneficial cellular effects and to be responsible for preservation and recovery of tissue function in controlled trials in a wide range of disorders typified by stress injury or degeneration. During PBM, absorption of red or near-infrared photons by cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondrial respiratory chain causes an increase in cellular respiration that continues for much longer than the light is present when delivered at appropriate fluence and exposure durations. Primary cellular effects include increases in mitochondrial activity and ATP levels, production of low levels of reactive oxygen species, induction of transcription factors (including the pro- survival NF-kB), and inhibition of apoptosis. Over the past decade several studies have reported that a single, transcranial PBM treatment at 810 nm delivered to the head had significant, beneficial effect when used to treat acute ischemic stroke in several different animal models and also in human clinical trials. A similar approach was used to treat acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice and in humans. Pathological examination of the mouse brains demonstrated up- regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and stimulated neurogenesis in the hippocampus and increased synaptogenesis in the cortex. A clinical trial is currently in progress at MGH to treat persons with acute moderate TBI. Several studies have shown improvement of cognitive function in persons with chronic TBI. Studies have also been conducted in animal models and in persons with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression and anxiety. Only a very limited number of studies have so far been carried out to test NIR photobiomodulation in normal experimental rodents and in normal human volunteers. In this study, an LED array light source will be used that has been cleared by the FDA for other human uses.

Interventions

DEVICEOmnilux

The Omnilux LED array sources can be changed to emit different wavelength.

Sponsors

Massachusetts General Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age: 18-25 or 65-85 * Women of child-bearing potential, must use a double-barrier method for birth control (e.g. condoms with spermicide) if sexually active during the study and for 30 days post treatment of any kind. * Subject Informed Consent obtained in writing in compliance with local regulations prior to enrollment into this study. * The subject (and caregiver, if applicable) is willing to participate in this study for at least 12 weeks.

Exclusion criteria

* Inability to speak or read English (necessary for cognitive testing software use). * Pregnancy or lactation * History of stroke or traumatic brain injury * Substance dependence or abuse in the past 6 months * Diagnosis with major psychiatric disease (Psychotic disorder or psychotic episode, bipolar affective disorder) * Diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition (autism or ADHD) * A traumatic event that resulted in PTSD * Any unstable medical illness (defined as any medical illness which has not been well-controlled with standard-of-care medications) * A significant skin condition (i.e., hemangioma, scleroderma, rash, open wound) or medical implant (e.g. metal plate, implantable shunt or valve) on the head. * Inability to understand or participate in the consent and performance of the study. * Those with Parkinson's Disease, End Stage Renal Disease, and/or End Stage Liver Disease

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
ERT: Emotional Recognition Task16 weeksThe median latency from stimulus onset to the subject's response button touch (i.e. emotion chosen) for all problems during assessment blocks.
PAL: Paired Associates Learning16 weeksThe number of times the subject chose the incorrect box for a stimulus on assessment problems, plus an adjustment for the estimated number of errors they would have made on any problems, attempts and recalls they did not reach
RTI: Reaction Time16 weeksThe mean duration between the onset of the stimulus and the release of the button. Calculated for correct, assessed trials where the stimulus could appear in any one of five locations.
RVP: Rapid Visual Information Processing16 weeksA' (A prime) is the signal detection measure of sensitivity to the target, regardless of response tendency (the expected range is 0.00 to 1.00; bad to good). In essence, this metric is a measure of how good the subject is at detecting target sequences.
SST: Stop Signal Task16 weeksThe estimate of the length of time between the go stimulus and the stop stimulus at which the subject is able to successfully inhibit their response on 50% of the trials.
SWM: Spatial Working Memory16 weeksBetween errors are defined as times the subject revisits a box in which a token has previously been found. This is calculated for trials of four, six and eight tokens.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORR. Rox Anderson, MD

MGH

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 3, 2026