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The Long-term Impact of a Light Intervention on Sleep and Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment

The Long-term Impact of a Light Intervention on Sleep Physiology and Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04073628
Enrollment
73
Registered
2019-08-29
Start date
2021-06-14
Completion date
2025-04-30
Last updated
2026-05-07

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

Conditions

Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment

Keywords

Mild Cognitive Impairment, sleep and memory

Brief summary

To investigate the impact of a long-term light treatment intervention on sleep physiology and memory in mild cognitively impaired and mild Alzheimer's disease patients living at home. The goal is also to measure the impact of the lighting intervention on caregivers' sleep, cognition, depression, and quality of life.

Detailed description

The current application proposes to investigate the impact of a long-term light treatment intervention on sleep physiology and sleep-dependent cognitive processes in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The premise is that older adults, especially those with cognitive impairment, are often in continuous dim light, which leads to circadian misalignment. Circadian misalignment impacts the close relationship between homeostatic and circadian processes, which can reduce memory-related sleep features. The hypothesis is that a lighting intervention technology (LIT), designed to promote circadian entrainment, will improve sleep by aligning the two sleep processes (circadian and homeostatic) and, thus improve cognition. In addition to improving patients' lives, LIT has the potential to reduce the overnight burden on caregivers. Thus, an exploratory goal is to also measure the impact of LIT on caregivers' sleep, cognition, depression, and quality of life.

Interventions

DEVICELighting Intervention

Lighting Intervention consisting of a cool or warm light source.

Sponsors

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Lead SponsorOTHER
Rutgers University
CollaboratorOTHER
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

In a single-arm, randomized, placebo-controlled (non-active comparison lighting intervention), between-subjects study, we will investigate the effect of long-term exposure (6 months) to a lighting intervention, which is designed to promote circadian entrainment.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

for MCI/Mild AD Participant: * Subject has diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), as defined by a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score between 17 and 24 and those who fall between 0.5-4.0 and 4.5-9.0 in the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB) instrument * Subject has sleep disturbance indicated by a score \>5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and sleep efficiency below 80% as indicated via actigraphy * Subject resides in his/her home, independent living, or assisted living facilities with a caregiver.

Exclusion criteria

for MCI/Mild AD Participant: * Subject diagnosed with another brain disease that fully explains the dementia (extensive brain vascular disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, traumatic brain injury, or multiple sclerosis) * Subject resides in a skilled nursing facility or long-term care * Subject has had recent changes in psychotropics (14 days) * Subject has major organ failure (e.g., kidney failure) * Subject has uncontrolled generalized disorders such as hypertension or diabetes * Subject has obstructing cataracts, macular degeneration, and/or blindness * Subject has undergone cataract surgery and received an intraocular lens coated with ultraviolet- and blue-blocking filters (400-440/440-500 nm) * Subject diagnosed with severe sleep apnea; using the Sleep Apnea scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ) the study will use a score of 29 as a cutoff for men and a cutoff of 26 for women * Subject diagnosed with restless leg syndrome (RLS); using the International Restless Legs Scale (IRLS), the study will use a cutoff of ≥11 as a positive screen for RLS * Subject has a history of severe photosensitivity dermatitis, severe progressive retinal disease (e.g., macular degeneration), or a permanently dilated pupil (e.g., after certain types of cataract surgery) For caregivers, we will accept those who: * Live with the patients * Are not diagnosed with dementia (MOCA between 25 and 30 and CDR=0) * Understand English * Are willing to help with the study * No other inclusion/

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cognition using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog)Will be administered at baseline and the end of weeks 9, 17, 25 and 37Change in cognition of the MCI participant will be assessed utilizing the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive to capture subtler changes in cognitive performance. The ADAS-Cog is the most widely used general cognitive measure in clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease. The ADAS-Cog assesses multiple cognitive domains including memory, language, praxis, and orientation.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Sleep Quality in the MCI Participant using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)Will be administered at baseline and the end of weeks 9, 17, 25 and 37Change in sleep quality of the MCI participant will be assessed utilizing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI is composed of 19 items that generate seven component scores (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction). The sum of the seven component scores yields a single global score. A global score \>5 is considered to indicate sleep disturbances. A lower score indicates improvement in sleep quality.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMariana Figueiro, PhD

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 8, 2026