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Can a light cap boost brain power in kids with sickle cell?
NCT ID NCT06797583
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether shining a special light on the head (transcranial photobiomodulation) can improve oxygen use and thinking skills in children with sickle cell disease. The brain needs steady oxygen, but sickle cell can reduce blood flow. Researchers will randomly assign 60 children (ages 8-17) to receive either active light therapy or a sham (placebo) treatment. The main goal is to see if the therapy is feasible and acceptable, and to check for side effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Transcranial photobiomodulation (light therapy using a CytonBrite 1064nm LED device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to improve brain function and oxygen use in children with sickle cell disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early feasibility study with only 60 participants. It is designed mainly to see if the approach is acceptable and safe, not to prove it works. The light therapy may not improve thinking or oxygen levels.
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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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
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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8 to 17 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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient diagnosed with sickle cell disease of any genotype * Enrolled in the Sickle Cell Clinical Research and Intervention Program (SCCRIP) * Between the ages of 8 to 17 years * Primary language is English * Participant and Parent/Legal Guardian is willing to participate and provide consent/assent according to institutional guidelines Exclusion Criteria: * History of an abnormal transcranial doppler screening * History of a documented silent cerebral infarct * History of documented central nervous system injury, including a traumatic brain injury, Moya Moya disease, or overt stroke * Participant received transfusion treatment within the past three months.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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 study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can an antioxidant supplement calm sickle cell blood cells?
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