NCT01064700

Bright Light: A Novel Treatment for Anxiety

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 33 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of South Carolina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The primary aim of this research was to examine the influence of bright light on anxiety in high-anxious young adults. In an acute exposure study, participants were randomly assigned to 45 min of either (1) bright light (3,000 lux) or (2) a placebo inactivated negative ion generator. Treatments were initiated ≤1 hr after awakening. At 10 min before and 30 min after the treatments, state anxiety, mood, and blood pressure were assessed. Following the acute exposure study, participants performed a 5-week study. Following a a 1-week baseline, participants were randomly assigned to four weeks of daily exposure to either (1) bright light (45 min/day; 3,000 lux) or (2) placebo inactivated negative ion generator, which were initiated ≤1 hr after awakening. Before and after the experiment, clinical ratings were conducted with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Hamilton Depression Scale, and the Clinical Global Impressions scale (CGI). Following baseline, and following each week of treatment, blood pressure, as well as questionnaires for state anxiety, depression, mood, sleep, and side effects were assessed.

Conditions

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Litebook Bright Light Box	Four weeks of daily exposure to bright light (3,000 lux) for 45 min/day, beginning within 60 min of arising.
DEVICE	Litebook inactivated negation ion generator (the placebo)	Four weeks of daily exposure to inactivated negative ion generator for 45 min/day, beginning within 60 min of arising

Timeline

• Start date: 2006-10-01
• Primary completion: 2007-12-01
• Completion: 2007-12-01
• First posted: 2010-02-08
• Last updated: 2021-04-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States