Physiological Effect of Non-invasive Photobiomodulation on Cognition and Mood in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Impairment

NCT07445945 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: REB 25-12
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) is a non-clinical condition manifesting as a self-reported decline in cognitive function without objective clinical evidence, and is prevalent among older adults and strongly associated with declining mood. This study explores the potential of photobiomodulation (PBM) as a therapeutic intervention for SCI. PBM, using near-infrared light, is a non-invasive neuromodulation approach that has shown promise in improving neuronal function, blood flow, and reducing inflammation in both healthy adults and patients with neurological conditions, including dementia and depression. This study proposes investigating the potential of forehead (tPBM), intranasal (iPBM) and vagal (vPBM) PBM to enhance mood and cognitive function in individuals with SCI as a proof of concept for the future use of PBM as therapy for cognitive decline in general. This study will recruit approximately 80 participants with SCI for the study, and the total expected duration of the participant\'s participation in the study is 5 weeks. The active and sham Neuro 5T device consisting of a headset with a built-in controller, nasal and neck applicators will be used. The nasal and neck applicators each contains a single LED and will be placed into the nostril or neck and secured into place. The headset contains multiple LEDs in a wearable applicator and may be adjusted. The Neuro 5T also contains telemetry features to allow documentation of patient usage of the device. LEDs are semiconductor electronic components that emit light. Participants will be given PBM devices for in-home usage, 2 times a day, 7 days a week, for 5 weeks. Participants will undergo EEG, MRI, cognitive and nasal microbiome assessments before and after the 5-week period.

Conditions

Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD); Subjective Cognitive Impairment

Keywords

Photobiomodulation; Light Therapy; Electroencephalography; MRI; Neuromodulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form)

  The Geriatric Depression Scale (Short Form), or GDS-SF, is a 15-item questionnaire used to screen older adults for depression. It is a simplified version of the original 30-item GDS, designed to be easier to administer, especially to those who are physically ill, easily fatigued, have short attention spans, or have mild cognitive impairment. A score of 5 or greater suggests the need for further evaluation for depression.

  The first assessment will take place before participants receive treatment, and another session no more than 2 weeks after their final treatment session.

• Montreal Cognitive Assessment

  The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a rapid screening instrument designed to detect mild cognitive impairment. It assesses various cognitive domains, including attention, memory, language, and executive functions. The MoCA is a brief test, taking approximately 10 minutes to administer, and is widely used in clinical and research settings.

  The first assessment will take place before participants receive treatment, and another session no more than 2 weeks after their final treatment session.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• EEG signal metrics and spatial-temporal pattern

  Two sessions, to be completed no more than 2 weeks before the start of the treatment sessions and then no more than 2 weeks after the conclusion of all treatment sessions

• Alpha diversity

  Two nasal swab samples collected; one before the administration of the first treatment session, and one after the last treatment session.

• Resting-state fMRI

  Two scans, to be completed no more than 2 weeks before the start of the first treatment session and no more than 2 weeks after the conclusion of the last treatment session.

• Beta diversity

  Two nasal swab samples collected; one before the administration of the first treatment session, and one after the last treatment session.

Study Arms (4)

Sham

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants will have the devices positioned but not turned on

Other: Sham (No Treatment)

tPBM (forehead PBM)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will have the devices positioned but only the tPBM device turned on

Other: Photobiomodulation

iPBM (intranasal PBM)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will have the devices positioned but only the iPBM device turned on

Other: Photobiomodulation

vPBM (vagus PBM)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will have the devices positioned but only the vPBM device turned on

Other: Photobiomodulation

Interventions

Photobiomodulation OTHER

the application of red and near-infrared light

iPBM (intranasal PBM); tPBM (forehead PBM); vPBM (vagus PBM)

Sham (No Treatment) OTHER

Control intervention; no photobiomodulation

Sham

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Affirmative responses to two questions on a self-report questionnaire: "Do you feel your memory is becoming worse?" "If so, are you concerned?"

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of clinically diagnosed dementia, mild cognitive impairment, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorder(s), schizophrenia, or other psychiatric disorders.
• History of a manic, hypomanic, or mixed depressive episode.
• Treatment with electroconvulsive therapy, intravenous and/or intranasal ketamine in the 6-weeks prior to study enrolment.
• History of substance-use disorder in the past 12 months.
• Presence of current alcohol-use disorder.
• A positive urine toxicology screen for non-prescribed substance use.
• A positive pregnancy test at screening.
• A history of major medical or neurological illness.
• A history of traumatic brain injury, stroke, seizures, or previous brain surgery.
• Current use of anti-coagulants.
• Contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning.
• Being currently involved in other intervention studies.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Baycrest: lead

Study Sites (1)

Rotman Research Institute

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (35)

• Zomorrodi R, Loheswaran G, Pushparaj A, Lim L. Pulsed Near Infrared Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation Significantly Modulates Neural Oscillations: a pilot exploratory study. Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 19;9(1):6309. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42693-x.

  PMID: 31004126 BACKGROUND

• Zöllinger, I., Bauer, A., Blotenberg, I., Brettschneider, C., Buchholz, M., Czock, D., Döhring, J., Escales, C., Fankhaenel, T., Frese, T., Hoffmann, W., Kaduszkiewicz, H., König, H.-H., Luppa, M., Oey, A., Pabst, A., Sanftenberg, L., Thyrian, J.R., Weiss, J., Wendel, F., Wiese, B., Riedel-Heller, S.G., Gensichen, J., 2023. Associations of Depressive Symptoms with Subjective Cognitive Decline in Elderly People-A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the AgeWell.de-Study. J Clin Med 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12165205

  BACKGROUND

• Wang, X., Tian, F., Reddy, D.D., Nalawade, S.S., Barrett, D.W., Gonzalez-Lima, F., Liu, H., 2017. Up-regulation of cerebral cytochrome-c-oxidase and hemodynamics by transcranial infrared laser stimulation: A broadband near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 37, 3789-3802.

  BACKGROUND

• Van Lankveld, H., Chen, J.X., Zhong, X.Z., Chen, J.J., 2025. Consistent and real-time BOLD fMRI response to pulsed transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation. , in: OHBM 2025 Annual Meeting. Presented at the OHBM 2025 Annual meeting.

  BACKGROUND

• Thompson SL, O'Leary GH, Austelle CW, Gruber E, Kahn AT, Manett AJ, Short B, Badran BW. A Review of Parameter Settings for Invasive and Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Applied in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders. Front Neurosci. 2021 Jul 13;15:709436. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.709436. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34326720 BACKGROUND

• Schiffer, F., Johnston, A.L., Ravichandran, C., Polcari, A., Teicher, M.H., Webb, R.H., Hamblin, M.R., 2009. Psychological benefits 2 and 4 weeks after a single treatment with near infrared light to the forehead: a pilot study of 10 patients with major depression and anxiety. Behav. Brain Funct. 5, 46

  BACKGROUND

• Saltmarche, A.E., Naeser, M.A., Ho, K.F., Hamblin, M.R., Lim, L., 2017. Significant Improvement in Cognition in Mild to Moderately Severe Dementia Cases Treated with Transcranial Plus Intranasal Photobiomodulation: Case Series Report. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2016.4227

  BACKGROUND

• Salehpour, F., Majdi, A., Pazhuhi, M., Ghasemi, F., Khademi, M., Pashazadeh, F., Hamblin, M.R., Cassano, P., 2019. Transcranial Photobiomodulation Improves Cognitive Performance in Young Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery 37, 635-643.

  BACKGROUND

• Salehpour F, Khademi M, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation Therapy for Dementia: A Systematic Review of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;83(4):1431-1452. doi: 10.3233/JAD-210029.

  PMID: 33935090 BACKGROUND

• Salehpour F, Gholipour-Khalili S, Farajdokht F, Kamari F, Walski T, Hamblin MR, DiDuro JO, Cassano P. Therapeutic potential of intranasal photobiomodulation therapy for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders: a narrative review. Rev Neurosci. 2020 Apr 28;31(3):269-286. doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2019-0063.

  PMID: 31812948 BACKGROUND

• Rashidi-Ranjbar, N., Churchill, N.W., Graham, S.J., Schneider, R., Rajji, T.K., Andreazza, A.C., Lim, L., Coull, J., Munoz, D.G., Fornazzari, L.R., Tom A. Schweizer, Fischer, C.E., 2024. A pilot study evaluating the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI): preliminary findings. Alzheimers. Dement. 20. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.095049

  BACKGROUND

• Peruzzotti-Jametti, L., Donegá, M., Giusto, E., Mallucci, G., Marchetti, B., Pluchino, S., 2014. The role of the immune system in central nervous system plasticity after acute injury. Neuroscience 0, 210.

  BACKGROUND

• Nawashiro, H., Wada, K., Nakai, K., Sato, S., 2012. Focal Increase in Cerebral Blood Flow After Treatment with Near-Infrared Light to the Forehead in a Patient in a Persistent Vegetative State. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2011.3044

  BACKGROUND

• Nairuz, T., Sangwoo-Cho, Lee, J.-H., 2024. Photobiomodulation Therapy on Brain: Pioneering an Innovative Approach to Revolutionize Cognitive Dynamics. Cells 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13110966

  BACKGROUND

• Mou, Y.-K., Song, X.-Y., Wang, H.-R., Wang, Y., Liu, W.-C., Yang, T., Zhang, M.-J., Hu, Y., Ren, C., Song, X.-C., 2024. Understanding the nose-brain axis and its role in related diseases: A conceptual review. Neurobiol. Dis. 202, 106690.

  BACKGROUND

• Mathew, A., Van Lankveld, H., Chen, J.X., Chen, J.J., 2025. The EEG response to pulsed forehead photobiomodulation: dependence on wavelength and frequency. OHBM 2025, in: OHBM 2025 Annual Meeting. Presented at the OHBM 2025 Annual Meeting.

  BACKGROUND

• Marin C, Vilas D, Langdon C, Alobid I, Lopez-Chacon M, Haehner A, Hummel T, Mullol J. Olfactory Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2018 Jun 15;18(8):42. doi: 10.1007/s11882-018-0796-4.

  PMID: 29904888 BACKGROUND

• Liu, D., Lu, J., Wei, L., Yao, M., Yang, H., Lv, P., Wang, H., Zhu, Y., Zhu, Z., Zhang, X., Chen, J., Yang, Q.X., Zhang, B., 2024. Olfactory deficit: a potential functional marker across the Alzheimer's disease continuum. Front. Neurosci. 18, 1309482.

  BACKGROUND

• Lazarini F, Roze E, Lannuzel A, Lledo PM. The microbiome-nose-brain axis in health and disease. Trends Neurosci. 2022 Oct;45(10):718-721. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.08.003. Epub 2022 Aug 31.

  PMID: 36055893 BACKGROUND

• Ji, Q., Yan, S., Ding, J., Zeng, X., Liu, Z., Zhou, T., Wu, Z., Wei, W., Li, H., Liu, S., Ai, S., 2023. Photobiomodulation improves depression symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Psychiatry 14, 1267415.

  BACKGROUND

• Jessen, F., Amariglio, R.E., van Boxtel, M., Breteler, M., Ceccaldi, M., Chételat, G., Dubois, B., Dufouil, C., Ellis, K.A., van der Flier, W.M., Glodzik, L., van Harten, A.C., de Leon, M.J., McHugh, P., Mielke, M.M., Molinuevo, J.L., Mosconi, L., Osorio, R.S., Perrotin, A., Petersen, R.C., Rabin, L.A., Rami, L., Reisberg, B., Rentz, D.M., Sachdev, P.S., de la Sayette, V., Saykin, A.J., Scheltens, P., Shulman, M.B., Slavin, M.J., Sperling, R.A., Stewart, R., Uspenskaya, O., Vellas, B., Visser, P.J., Wagner, M., Subjective Cognitive Decline Initiative (SCD-I) Working Group, 2014. A conceptual framework for research on subjective cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 10, 844-852.

  BACKGROUND

• Jessen, F., Amariglio, R.E., Buckley, R.F., van der Flier, W.M., Han, Y., Molinuevo, J.L., Rabin, L., Rentz, D.M., Rodriguez-Gomez, O., Saykin, A.J., Sikkes, S.A.M., Smart, C.M., Wolfsgruber, S., Wagner, M., 2020. The characterisation of subjective cognitive decline. Lancet Neurol 19, 271-278.

  BACKGROUND

• Holmes E, Barrett DW, Saucedo CL, O'Connor P, Liu H, Gonzalez-Lima F. Cognitive Enhancement by Transcranial Photobiomodulation Is Associated With Cerebrovascular Oxygenation of the Prefrontal Cortex. Front Neurosci. 2019 Oct 18;13:1129. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01129. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31680847 BACKGROUND

• Hill NL, Mogle J, Wion R, Munoz E, DePasquale N, Yevchak AM, Parisi JM. Subjective Cognitive Impairment and Affective Symptoms: A Systematic Review. Gerontologist. 2016 Dec;56(6):e109-e127. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnw091. Epub 2016 Jun 23.

  PMID: 27342440 BACKGROUND

• Hey G, Nair N, Klann E, Gurrala A, Safarpour D, Mai V, Ramirez-Zamora A, Vedam-Mai V. Therapies for Parkinson's disease and the gut microbiome: evidence for bidirectional connection. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 May 30;15:1151850. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1151850. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37323145 BACKGROUND

• Hamblin, M.R., 2017. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophys 4, 337-361.

  BACKGROUND

• Hall, R.A., 2011. Autonomic modulation of olfactory signaling. Science signaling 4. https://doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.2001672

  BACKGROUND

• Hakimiha N, Jahani Sherafat S, Laakso EL, Fekrazad R. Photobiomodulation and the oral-gut microbiome axis: therapeutic potential and challenges. Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Apr 9;12:1555704. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1555704. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 40270495 BACKGROUND

• de Freitas LF, Hamblin MR. Proposed Mechanisms of Photobiomodulation or Low-Level Light Therapy. IEEE J Sel Top Quantum Electron. 2016 May-Jun;22(3):7000417. doi: 10.1109/JSTQE.2016.2561201.

  PMID: 28070154 BACKGROUND

• Dan X, Wechter N, Gray S, Mohanty JG, Croteau DL, Bohr VA. Olfactory dysfunction in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Ageing Res Rev. 2021 Sep;70:101416. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101416. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

  PMID: 34325072 BACKGROUND

• Consonni, A., Miglietti, M., De Luca, C.M.G., Cazzaniga, F.A., Ciullini, A., Dellarole, I.L., Bufano, G., Di Fonzo, A., Giaccone, G., Baggi, F., Moda, F., 2022. Approaching the Gut and Nasal Microbiota in Parkinson's Disease in the Era of the Seed Amplification Assays. Brain Sci 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12111579

  BACKGROUND

• Cassano P, Petrie SR, Hamblin MR, Henderson TA, Iosifescu DV. Review of transcranial photobiomodulation for major depressive disorder: targeting brain metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurogenesis. Neurophotonics. 2016 Jul;3(3):031404. doi: 10.1117/1.NPh.3.3.031404. Epub 2016 Mar 4.

  PMID: 26989758 BACKGROUND

• Bicknell, B., Liebert, A., Johnstone, D., Kiat, H., 2019. Photobiomodulation of the microbiome: implications for metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Lasers in medical science 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-018-2594-6

  BACKGROUND

• Chen, J.X., Van Lankveld, H., Zhong, X.Z., Chen, J.J., 2025. Real-time evolution of the fMRI response to transcranial photobiomodulation to the human brain. , in: OHBM 2025 Annual Meeting. Presented at the OHBM 2025 Annual Meeting.

  BACKGROUND

• Chao, L.L., 2019. Effects of Home Photobiomodulation Treatments on Cognitive and Behavioral Function, Cerebral Perfusion, and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Patients with Dementia: A Pilot Trial. Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1089/photob.2018.4555

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Low-Level Light Therapy; salicylhydroxamic acid

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Laser Therapy; Therapeutics; Phototherapy

Central Study Contacts

Principal Investigator

CONTACT

416-785-2500; jean.chen@utoronto.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 14, 2025
• First Posted: March 3, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Last Updated: March 3, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)