Morning light may ease OCD symptoms in night owls

NCT ID NCT06720090

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

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Status unknown
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First seen Jul 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study tests whether wearing light therapy glasses for one hour each morning can reduce obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in young adults (ages 18–35) who go to bed at 1 a.m. or later. Participants wear the glasses daily for five weeks, track their sleep, and complete OCD symptom questionnaires. The goal is to see if advancing the body's internal clock with morning light can ease repetitive thoughts and behaviors.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
light therapy
What this could lead to
If effective, light therapy could offer a simple, drug-free way to ease OCD symptoms for people with late bedtimes.
What could go wrong
This is a very early, small trial (40 people) testing a behavioral intervention. Results may not apply to all OCD patients, and the effect on symptoms may be modest or absent.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Early phase 1

The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2024

Expected to finish

Mar 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

17 to 35 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Primary DSM-5 OCD diagnosis 2. Bedtime 0100 or later 3. Age 18-35 4. English speaking Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects must not be currently participating in another research study that would influence their participation in our study. 2. Diagnostic status 3. Treatment status 4. Night shift work or travel more than 1 time zone outside of Central Standard Time (CST) in the past month 5. Pregnancy status 6. Medication status 7. Regular nicotine or marijuana use

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University

    RECRUITING

    St Louis, Missouri, 63130, United States

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