The Use of Rhythmic Light Therapy in Mild Cognitive Impairment

NCT07318038 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STUDY-25-01233
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In this within-subjects, crossover study, participants will undergo Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings before, during, and after each of three 1-hour sessions. All participants will experience all three conditions: (1) dual-frequency visual (10 and 40 Hz), (2) single-frequency visual (40 Hz), and (3) non-rhythmic stimulation. EEG spectral power and amplitude coupling will be analyzed to determine whether stimulation-induced increases in alpha-gamma neural synchrony translate to improvements in cognitive performance.

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• EEG-based neural synchrony

  Change in spectral power and amplitude in the alpha and gamma EEG bands. Increase in power and amplitude is indicative of increases in neural synchrony.

  5 minute EEG recording will be done at start, middle and end of each one-hour session, each session separated by one week

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Digit Span Task

  Completed at start and end of each one-hour session, each session will be separated by one week

Study Arms (3)

Dual frequency flickering light

EXPERIMENTAL

Light flickering with 10 Hz + 40 Hz visual stimulation

Device: Flickering Light

Single frequency flickering light

EXPERIMENTAL

Light flickering with 10 Hz visual stimulation

Device: Flickering Light

non-rhythmic flickering light

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Light flickering with random visual stimulation

Device: Flickering Light

Interventions

Flickering Light DEVICE

Red Flickering Light programed to three different visual stimulations

Dual frequency flickering light; Single frequency flickering light; non-rhythmic flickering light

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 55 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• History of Mild Cognitive Impairment with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score between 18 and 25

You may not qualify if:

• History of epilepsy or photosensitivity
• Blindness or other obstructive vision conditions
• retinal diseases
• presence of another brain disease accounting for their cognitive status

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: lead

Study Sites (1)

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

New York, New York, 10029, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cognitive Dysfunction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cognition Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Mariana Figueiro, PhD

  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Barbara Plitnick

CONTACT

518-242-4603; barbara.plitnick@mountsinai.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2025
• First Posted: January 5, 2026
• Study Start: December 8, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: January 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)