CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00701064Updated Sep 24, 2019Results posted

Bright Light: An Adjunct Treatment for Combat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

An interventional study of Bright Light Exposure and Negative Ion Generator in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-09-24.

Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
71
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The investigators are testing novel treatments for combat PTSD: bright light exposure and negation ion exposure.

Read the detailed description

Seventy Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) will be randomly assigned to one of two 4-week treatments (45 min/day): (1) bright light exposure or (2) a negative ion generator. Clinical assessments ,as well as self-reported measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and sleep will be assessed

02

Conditions studied

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

  • posttraumatic stress disorder
  • phototherapy
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • sleep
  • negative ion generator
03

In context

Stress Disorders, Traumatic

1,147 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress Disorders, Traumatic; 108 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 71 is above the median of 60 across 908 interventional studies indexed under Stress Disorders, Traumatic.

Browse Stress Disorders, Traumatic studies →

Lead sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development is the lead sponsor of 1,733 studies on the registry; 396 are open to participants now.

Of its 206 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 180 (87%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • receiving other treatment or stopped other treatment prior to study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • bipolar disorder
  • psychosis
  • alcohol/drug abuse
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
71 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Bright Light Exposure

    Bright Light (30 min/day)

    Other: Bright Light Exposure

  • Placebo comparator
    Negative Ion Generator

    Negative Ion Generator (30 min/day)

    Other: Negative Ion Generator

Interventions

  • OtherBright Light Exposure

    Administered via bright light box

  • OtherNegative Ion Generator

    Administered via Negative Ion Generatore

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Clinical Assessed PTSD Scale (CAPS-2)

    The CAPS-2 is administered by a trained clinician. It is designed to assess changes in PTSD severity over time, the scale ranges from 0-136. Higher levels indicate greater severity of PTSD.

    Time frame: Mean change from baseline to post-treatment (5-6 weeks later)

  2. Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)

    The CGI assesses baseline severity on a 7-point scale, and change on 7-point scale. (1=normal; 4=moderately ill; 7= among the most severely ill). Change: 1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse

    Time frame: Baseline severity to post-treatment (4 weeks later) Change

Secondary outcomes

  1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-M)

    Self-rated PTSD scale with 17 items (rated 1-5) with range of 17-85. Higher score = worse severity of PTSD. Reported are decreases from baseline to end-of-study.

    Time frame: Baseline to following 4-week treatment

07

Results

Posted Apr 29, 2015

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneBright Light ExposureNegative Ion Generator
Started3536
Completed3132
Not completed44
Withdrew: Protocol violation11
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject11
Withdrew: Initiated other ptsd treatment22

Outcome measures

PrimaryClinical Assessed PTSD Scale (CAPS-2)

The CAPS-2 is administered by a trained clinician. It is designed to assess changes in PTSD severity over time, the scale ranges from 0-136. Higher levels indicate greater severity of PTSD.

Time frame:
Mean change from baseline to post-treatment (5-6 weeks later)
Reported as:
Mean · change in units on scale
Clinical Assessed PTSD Scale (CAPS-2)
change in units on scaleArm 1: Bright LightArm 2: Placebo Negative Ion Generator
Clinical Assessed PTSD Scale (CAPS-2)20.10 ± 18.638.84 ± 17.89
PrimaryClinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)

The CGI assesses baseline severity on a 7-point scale, and change on 7-point scale. (1=normal; 4=moderately ill; 7= among the most severely ill). Change: 1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse

Time frame:
Baseline severity to post-treatment (4 weeks later) Change
Reported as:
Mean · units on scale
Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)
units on scaleArm 1: Bright LightArm 2: Placebo Negative Ion Generator
Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)2.61 ± 0.183.16 ± 0.17
SecondaryPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-M)

Self-rated PTSD scale with 17 items (rated 1-5) with range of 17-85. Higher score = worse severity of PTSD. Reported are decreases from baseline to end-of-study.

Time frame:
Baseline to following 4-week treatment
Reported as:
Mean · decrease in units on scale
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-M)
decrease in units on scaleArm 1: Bright LightArm 2: Placebo Negative Ion Generator
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-M)11.03 ± 1.936.25 ± 1.61

Adverse events

Collected over At the end of baseline period and weekly during the 4-week intervention, we monitored the subjects for suicidal thoughts with the Beck Suicide Scale.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Arm 1: Bright Light Exposure0/31 (0%)0/31 (0%)0/31 (0%)
Arm 2: Negative Ion Generator0/32 (0%)0/32 (0%)0/32 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Veterans with PTSD

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
<=18 years000
Between 18 and 65 years353671
>=65 years000
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
Mean37.5 ± 9.336.0 ± 8.036.7 ± 8.6
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
Female8816
Male272855
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
Hispanic or Latino336
Not Hispanic or Latino323264
Unknown or Not Reported011
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native112
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American131124
White212344
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported011
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
United States353671
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS2)
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS2)(units on a scale)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
Mean63.0 ± 20.262.3 ± 26.662.6 ± 23.5
Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI)
Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI)(units on a scale)Bright Light ExposureNegative Ion GeneratorTotal
Mean4.3 ± 0.94.2 ± 1.64.3 ± 1.3

2 further baseline measures are reported on the registry.

08

Study locations

1 site
  • Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC
    Columbia, Arizona 29209, United States
09

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 24, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00701064
Lead sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
Collaborators
Arizona State University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 19, 2008
Start date
Jan 1, 2009
Primary completion
Nov 21, 2012
Completion
Sep 2, 2019
Results posted
Apr 29, 2015
Last update
Sep 24, 2019

Study contacts

Shawn D. Youngstedt, PhD
principal investigator · Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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