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Sleep therapy tested for Alzheimer's brain fog

NCT ID NCT03256539

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 Results may not be published yet.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 This study
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

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested a behavioral program using bright light therapy and sleep coaching to improve sleep and thinking in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's. Only 15 people were enrolled before the study was stopped early. The goal was to see if the program was feasible and could help with memory and daily function.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
behavioral sleep intervention (bright light therapy and modified cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could point toward a non-drug way to improve sleep and thinking in people with early Alzheimer's.
What could go wrong
This was a very small pilot study (15 people) that was terminated early, so results are limited and may not apply to others.

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

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

15 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2021

Finished

Jan 2024

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

65 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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

Inclusion Criteria: * ≥65 years old * Memory complaints verified by an informant * Clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's Disease * General cognitive performance sufficiently persevered such that a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease cannot be made by the site physician * No evidence (CT or MRI scans within 12 months prior to screening) of infection, infarction, or other focal lesions and no clinical symptoms suggestive of intervening neurological disease * Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing * Meets International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2nd edition (ICSD-2) criteria for insomnia or circadian rhythm disorders, or shows actigraphy evidence of sleep disturbances and excessive napping Exclusion Criteria: * Any major neurologic disease other than suspected incipient Alzheimer's disease, such as Parkinson's disease, multi-infarct dementia, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder, Huntington's disease, brain tumor or history of significant head trauma * Any comorbid psychiatric conditions or severe personality disorder within the past 2 years (by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition), such as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic features * Any uncontrolled medical conditions or systemic illness that might lead to difficulty complying with the study protocol * History of alcohol or substance abuse within the past 2 years * Any inadequately treated primary or secondary sleep disorder (due to medical conditions) that might confound the association

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease Cognitive Dysfunction sleep disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Aging Alzheimer disease CBT Cognitive impairment Sleep

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • UCSF

    San Francisco, California, 94121, United States

More trials for these conditions

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