Transcranial Near Infrared Radiation and Cerebral Blood Flow in Depression - R33

NCT ID: NCT05573074

Last Updated: 2026-02-05

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-04-01

Study Completion Date

2026-06-30

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this research study is to determine if application of near infrared energy to the forehead can change blood flow in the brains of people with depression. Near infrared energy is like light but is not visible to the human eye.

Detailed Description

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In this multi-center study, approximately 60 subjects with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) will undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning during transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM) before and after a randomized, double-blinded, controlled 16 session course of treatment with tPBM or sham.

Conditions

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Major Depressive Disorder

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

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tPBM Group

Visit 1: t-PBM at irradiance dose of 291.7 mW/cm2 (333s) Visit 2 - 18: randomized to receive active t-PBM of 291.7 mW/cm2 (333s) Visit 19: t-PBM at irradiance dose of 291.7 mW/cm2 (333s)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Transcranial Photobiomodulator

Intervention Type DEVICE

Transcranial photobiomodulator delivers Near-Infrared Radiation (NIR) continuous middle irradiance (291.7 mW/cm2) to patients' foreheads.

Sham

Intervention Type DEVICE

Transcranial Photobiomodulator delivers sham irradiance odes of 0 mW/cm2

Sham Group

Visit 1: t-PBM at irradiance does of 291.7 mW/cm2 (333s) Visit 2 - 18: randomized to receive Sham of 0 mW/cm2 (333s) Visit 19: t-PBM at irradiance dose of 291.7 mW/cm2 (333s)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Transcranial Photobiomodulator

Intervention Type DEVICE

Transcranial photobiomodulator delivers Near-Infrared Radiation (NIR) continuous middle irradiance (291.7 mW/cm2) to patients' foreheads.

Sham

Intervention Type DEVICE

Transcranial Photobiomodulator delivers sham irradiance odes of 0 mW/cm2

Interventions

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Transcranial Photobiomodulator

Transcranial photobiomodulator delivers Near-Infrared Radiation (NIR) continuous middle irradiance (291.7 mW/cm2) to patients' foreheads.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham

Transcranial Photobiomodulator delivers sham irradiance odes of 0 mW/cm2

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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LightForce EXPi tPBM-2.0

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Participants must be able to give written informed consent and follow study procedures
* Participants must be 18-65 years of age
* Participants must have major depressive disorder; all the following conditions need to be met to ensure presence of significant depression symptoms:

1. Meeting diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the past two weeks, at the DSM-5 Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
2. Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology Clinician-rated (IDS-C) total score ≥23 at screening
3. Depression symptoms are the primary target of treatment or treatment-seeking.
* Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception
* Participants taking medications or psychotherapy approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder will need to be stable for at least 8 weeks prior to screen.

Exclusion Criteria

* Unwilling or unable to comply with study requirements
* Patients judged to be at serious and imminent suicidal (C-SSRS≥4) or homicide risk, or currently in crisis such that inpatient hospitalization or other crisis management should take priority.
* History of any or psychotic or bipolar disorder
* Met diagnostic criteria for an alcohol or substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, or bulimia nervosa within the preceding 6 months
* History of dementia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or neurological disorders affecting the brain, including any history of stroke or seizure disorders requiring treatment in the last 5 years
* Cognitive impairment significant as determined by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) \<22 or MOCA-Blind \<19.
* History of antisocial personality disorder, or any clinically significant personality trait that would, in the investigator's judgment, preclude safe study participation or impair ability to remain adherent with the treatment protocol
* History of significant treatment non-adherence or situations where the subjects are unlikely to adhere to treatment, in the opinion of the investigator.
* Pregnant (as confirmed by pregnancy test at screen) or nursing
* Currently undergoing device-based treatment for depression or taking medications for depression other than SSRIs, SNRIs, or Wellbutrin (bupropion).
* Treatment resistance with failure to respond to more than two adequate treatments with FDA-approved antidepressant medications during current episode of major depressive disorder.
* History of ECT in the last 12 months; lifetime history of VNS; lifetime treatment resistance to any FDA-approved device-based treatment for major depressive disorder (such as ECT, TMS, VNS); device-based interventions for depression will need to be discontinued at least 8 weeks prior to screen.
* Serious, unstable medical illnesses including hepatic, renal, gastroenterologic, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrinologic, neurologic, immunologic, hematologic disease; defined as any medical illness which is not well-controlled with standard-of-care v Clinically significant abnormal findings of laboratory parameters including urine toxicology screen for drugs of abuse or at physical examination.
* Clinical or laboratory evidence of uncontrolled hypothyroidism; if maintained on thyroid medication must be euthyroid for at least 1 month before screening.
* Past intolerance or hypersensitivity to tPBM.
* Significant skin conditions (i.e., hemangioma, scleroderma, psoriasis, rash, open wound or tattoo) on the subject's scalp that are found in the area of the procedure sites.
* Any use of light-activated drugs (photodynamic therapy) within 14 days prior to study enrollment.
* Any type of implants in the head, whose functioning might be affected by tPBM (e.g., stent, clipped aneurysm, embolized AVM, implantable shunt - Hakim valve).
* Failure to meet standard MRI safety requirements (e.g., claustrophobia, non-removable piercings, implanted medical devices, other non-removable metals) as determined by the MRI Safety Checklist.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

NYU Langone Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Dan Iosifescu, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

NYU Langone Health

Locations

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Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

NYU Langone Health

New York, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research

Orangeburg, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Dan Iosifescu, MD

Role: CONTACT

646-754-5156

Anna Peterson

Role: CONTACT

646-754-2260

Facility Contacts

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Paolo Cassano, MD,PhD

Role: primary

617-726-6421

Dan Iosifescu, MD, MSc

Role: primary

646-754-5156

Katherine A Collins, MSW, PhD

Role: primary

845-398-6580

Other Identifiers

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22-01065

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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