Could a special light help Alzheimer's patients sleep better and think clearer?
NCT ID NCT03933696
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested whether a tailored light intervention could improve thinking, sleep, and metabolism in 25 people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease. Participants received either active or placebo lighting at home. The goal was to see if light exposure could help regulate sleep-wake cycles and blood sugar control.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- tailored lighting intervention (device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to ease symptoms like sleep problems and metabolic issues in early Alzheimer's.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 25 participants. The light treatment may not produce meaningful benefits, and results may not apply to everyone.
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
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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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25 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2019
- Finished
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May 2025
- 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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55 years and older
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Mild cognitive impairment * Mild Alzheimer's Disease * Sleep Disturbance * Live at home Exclusion Criteria: * Blindness * insulin-dependent diabetes patients * macular degeneration * severe sleep apnea
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, New York, 10029, United States
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Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08854, United States
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