Flashing light may boost brain waves in memory loss
NCT ID NCT07318038
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether rhythmic light therapy can improve brain activity and memory in 20 people with mild cognitive impairment. Participants sat through three one-hour sessions with different light patterns while their brain waves were recorded. The goal was to see if certain light flickers increase brain synchrony and working memory.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Flickering light device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to improve memory in people with mild cognitive impairment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 20 people. It only measured short-term brain changes, not long-term benefits. The light therapy may not help 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
-
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
-
20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Finished
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Mar 2026
- 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
-
55 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * History of Mild Cognitive Impairment with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score between 18 and 25 Exclusion Criteria: * History of epilepsy or photosensitivity * Blindness or other obstructive vision conditions * retinal diseases * presence of another brain disease accounting for their cognitive status
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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
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, New York, 10029, United States
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