What this means
This small trial will test whether near-infrared light placed on the head helps brain blood flow and memory. It has not reported results yet, so it cannot yet show whether the light helps.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the registry listing.
- Status
- Recruiting
- Who can join
- Ages 21–85
- Where
- 1 site, including Oklahoma
The science
- Registered title
- The Effect of Near-infrared Light Therapy on Brain Function and Cognition in Young and Older Adults
- Trial ID
- NCT07209683 ↗
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Study type
- interventional
- Conditions
- Cognition, Neurovascular Coupling Mechanism and Cognitive Function, Neurovascular Control, Brain Aging, Brain Activity
- What is tested
- transcranial photobiomodulation
- Sponsor
- University of Oklahoma
- Ages
- 21 Years to 85 Years
- Dates
- First posted Oct 7, 2025 · updated Feb 6, 2026
Registry summary
The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to test whether transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique using near-infrared light, can improve brain blood flow regulation (neurovascular coupling) and cognitive function in older adults.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does tPBM enhance neurovascular coupling responses during memory and finger tapping tasks?
- Are these improvements linked to better cognitive performance and lower levels of brain inflammation and oxidative stress?
Researchers will compare an active tPBM treatment arm to a sham treatment arm to see if tPBM leads to measurable improvements in brain activity and cognitive function compared to no active stimulation.
Participants will:
- Receive either active tPBM or sham stimulation sessions for 4 weeks, every other day using a portable intervention device.
- Complete questionnaires and an iPAD-based cognitive testing protocol
- Complete memory and motor tasks while their brain activity is measured using non-invasive techniques: simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial doppler (TCD) flowmetry.
- Retinal vessel reactivity will be measured during flickering light stimulus using a special camera (dynamic vessel analysis, DVA).
- Provide blood samples to test for biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress and brain cell damage.
Sites (1)
- University of Oklahoma Health Campus, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States