Transcranial Photobiomodulation in Anxiety Disorders
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Attention bias assessment and modification, Transcranial photobiomodulation.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Symptoms of Anxiety. Basic parameters: 18 years — 100 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation and Attention Bias Modification on Anxiety Symptoms and Brain Hemodynamics
Overview
The investigators have previously shown that safe, non-invasive methods of brain stimulation such as the administration of transcranial infrared light can result in improvements to cognition and emotion. The investigators hypothesize that transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) can be used in conjunction with attention bias assessment and modification to reduce anxiety symptoms in individuals with sub-clinical anxiety.
Detailed description
The investigators will conduct two studies: one examining the efficacy of transcranial photobiomodulation as a standalone treatment to alleviate sub-clinical anxiety symptoms and another evaluating the role of transcranial photobiomodulation as an adjunct to a form of cognitive behavioral therapy in anxiety treatment. The investigators will recruit individuals with sub-clinical anxiety and use attention bias assessment (ABA) to assess levels of anxiety, and then use attention bias modification (ABM) to reduce levels of anxiety. Brain activity will be monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
An online prescreen questionnaire will be used to determine participant eligibility. No medical records are accessed/obtained for verifying inclusion/exclusion criteria. Informed consent is obtained during the first in-person visit. Participants fill out questionnaires to assess their medical history and anxiety/depression symptoms. The participants then participate in either ABA or ABA/ABM while wearing the fNIRS headset before and after transcranial photobiomodulation treatment or sham. Both studies will comprise three in-person visits with an online follow-up a week later. In this single-blind, sham-controlled experiment, block randomization will be performed to minimize selection bias and allocation bias.
Interventions
- Behavioral Attention bias assessment and modification
Attention bias assessment and modification involve two versions of the dot-probe task. These tasks are based on the premise that repeated attention shifts can retrain attentional biases, with the expectation that reducing attentional bias toward threats will alleviate sub-clinical anxiety symptoms. - Device Transcranial photobiomodulation
Participants will receive near-infrared light at 1064 nanometers to the right side of the forehead for 8 minutes. The investigators have introduced this form of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) as a means of human cognitive enhancement, and as an adjunct for attention bias modification for the reduction of symptoms of depression. In the present study, the investigators wish to extend these findings to the use of attention bias modification for the reduction of sub-clinical anxiety.
Primary outcome measures
- Composite cognitive score in the dot-probe task [Time frame: Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (three days after Visit 1), Visit 3 (1 week after Visit 2)]
- Change in concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy [Time frame: Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (three days after Visit 1), Visit 3 (1 week after Visit 2)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- 18 years of age and older
- State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) questionnaire score between 40-59 (indicates moderate sub-clinical anxiety)
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score between 1-9 (indicates minimal to mild sub-clinical depression)
Exclusion criteria
- STAI score less than 40 or greater than 59
- PHQ-9 score greater than 9
- Medication instability (i.e., medication change within 6 weeks)
- Indicated suicidal ideation
- Currently receiving tPBM treatment
- Current pregnancy
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- The University of Texas at Austin — Austin
Publications
- Barrett DW, Beevers CG, Gonzalez-Lima F. Augmenting Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder With Transcranial Infrared Laser Stimulation. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2025 Jan 9;5(2):100449. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100449. eCollection 2025 Mar. PMID 39990627
- Disner SG, Beevers CG, Gonzalez-Lima F. Transcranial Laser Stimulation as Neuroenhancement for Attention Bias Modification in Adults with Elevated Depression Symptoms. Brain Stimul. 2016 Sep-Oct;9(5):780-787. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.05.009. Epub 2016 May 24. PMID 27267860
- Zaizar ED, Papini S, Gonzalez-Lima F, Telch MJ. Singular and combined effects of transcranial infrared laser stimulation and exposure therapy on pathological fear: a randomized clinical trial. Psychol Med. 2023 Feb;53(3):908-917. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721002270. Epub 2021 Jul 21. PMID 34284836
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07133893 · STUDY00007224