Morning light may heal Veterans' brains after injury
NCT ID NCT07601841
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether morning bright light therapy can improve sleep in 300 veterans with traumatic brain injury. Researchers will measure changes in inflammation, energy production in cells, and brain cleaning systems. The goal is to understand how better sleep might support overall brain health.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 89 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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.
All subjects must: 1. Male and female; any race; 18-89 years of age. 2. Be English speaking.\* 3. Be accessible via phone. 4. Be non-decisionally impaired. Determined by assessing the subject's ability to verbalize their understanding of the protocol back to us during the informed consent process. 5. Not have a history of macular degeneration. 6. Not have a history of bipolar disorder. 7. Not be currently using a lightbox or a negative ion generator. 8. Not be a shift worker. 9. Have a documented history of TBI via the Head Trauma Events Characteristics (HTEC) or OHIO conducted in accordance with VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines.88 10. Present with self-reported sleep-wake disturbances. 11. Remain clinically stable for current pharmacologic treatment related to depression/anxiety, sleep, and pain. 12. MRI specific compatibility requirements: * No pacemaker, wires, defribrillator or implanted heart valves * No history of head surgery requiring aneurysm clips * No history of other orthopedic or general surgery requiring the implantation of ferrous pins, joints, electric devices/pumps, or other foreign metal objects * History of eye exposure to metal (unprotected welding/metalworking/shrapnel) is allowable provided the participant screens negative for metal in the eyes on an orbital x-ray or is able to provide clinical documentation of having screened negative. * No history of non-removable hearing aids, middle/inner ear prosthesis, or dentures * No history of claustrophobia; if unsure participant will be pre-screened in our mock scanner * Not currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an implanted IUD. Participants who are unsure of their pregnancy status will be administered an hCG urine pregnancy test the day of their scan. * Able to lay flat on their back comfortably without a thick pillow for an extended period of time. * Shoulder width does not exceed width for safety fitting in the MRI bore. * This study is limited to English-speaking participants because all assessments, interventions, and consent materials are currently validated and approved only in English. Expanding to other languages would require translation and psychometric validation, which are beyond the scope and budget of this study. This limitation is acknowledged and will be addressed in future research as resources permit. Finally, the study team is only fluent in English, making it infeasible to accurately consent or interact with non-English speakers without interpreting services which again is outside of the scope of this projects budget and timeline. Proceeding without formal translation services would risk miscommunication in informed consent, data collection, or participant support and thus protects participants informed consent and participant understanding.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Oregon Health and Science University
RECRUITINGPortland, Oregon, 97239, United States
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