An interventional study of Active tPBM in Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Sleepiness, sponsored by NYU Langone Health. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-14.
Sponsored by NYU Langone Health · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that is commonly treated using positive airway pressure, yet 50% of patients still experience residual sleepiness after successful therapy. A potential neuromodulation strategy that can decrease residual sleepiness is transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM). tPBM is a neuromodulatory treatment that uses red and/or near infrared light to penetrate the cortex and can alter both cerebral metabolism and blood flow. However, this potential has never been explored before directly in sleep disordered individuals. This project aims to explore the effect of tPBM on sleepiness and understand the potential neural mechanism of tPBM in OSA. The short-term goal of this project is to collect pilot data, which is the first of its kind, and suggest tPBM as a potential modulator of sleepiness in OSA.
2,240 studies on the registry are indexed under Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; 475 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 22 is below the median of 52 across 1,472 interventional studies indexed under Sleep Apnea, Obstructive.
Browse Sleep Apnea, Obstructive studies →NYU Langone Health is the lead sponsor of 1,430 studies on the registry; 258 are open to participants now.
Of its 235 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 197 (84%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Washout period
A planned gap after a treatment, so that its effects can lessen before the study treatment or a study assessment. Ask the study team and the doctor who prescribed it before changing any medicine.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive tPBM treatment and sham for approximately 12 minutes and complete assessments. Participants have the choice to participate in an optional follow-up 1 week post-initial visit, in which they will receive tPBM treatment for approximately 11-12 minutes and complete assessments at a different time of day.
Device: Active tPBM
tPBM is a neuromodulatory treatment that uses red and/or near infrared light to penetrate the cortex and can alter both cerebral metabolism and blood flow. Subjects will receive treatment for approximately 12 minutes per treatment and sham.
Percent Change in Cerebral Blood Flow
Measured via MRI imaging.
Time frame: Pre-Active tPBM Treatment, Post-Active tPBM Treatment (Day 1, approx. 11-12 minutes)
Change in Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) Score
The KSS is a 1-item assessment of sleepiness in the 5 minutes prior to administration of the questionnaire. Participants rank their sleepiness on a scale from 1 (extremely alert) to 9 (very sleepy). The total score is the item ranking and ranges from 1-9; higher scores indicate greater sleepiness.
Time frame: Pre-Active tPBM Treatment, Post-Active tPBM Treatment (Day 1, approx. 11-12 minutes)
Change in Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) Score
The psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) is a computer-based test that measures how consistently someone responds to visual or auditory stimuli over 10 minutes. The participant presses a button in response to a digital signal on a computer screen. The test measures reaction time and the number of lapses, which are defined as response times longer than 500 milliseconds or failing to respond. The total score is calculated by subtracting the number of lapses and false starts from 100%. The result is a percentage that ranges from 100% for optimal performance to 0% for worst possible performance.
Time frame: Pre-Active tPBM Treatment, Post-Active tPBM Treatment (Day 1, approx. 11-12 minutes)
Change in Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) Score
The COWAT is a verbal fluency test in which participants are asked to say as many words as possible from a given category and in a specified timeframe. The total score is the number of correct words named by the participant.
Time frame: Pre-Active tPBM Treatment, Post-Active tPBM Treatment (Day 1, approx. 11-12 minutes)
Plan to share: Yes — The de-identified participant data from the final research dataset will be shared upon reasonable request beginning 9 to 36 months after publication or as required by a condition of awards or supporting agreements, provided the requesting investigator executes a data use agreement with NYU Langone Health. This instance of data sharing will also require separate IRB review as well as review from NYU Langone's Data Sharing Strategy Board (DSSB). Requests should be directed to: Naomi.Gaggi@nyulangone.org. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be posted on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or supporting awards and agreements.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan
Time frame: Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.
Access criteria: The investigator who proposed to use the data will be granted access upon reasonable request. Requests should be directed to Naomi.Gaggi@nyulangone.org. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement. This instance of data sharing will also require separate IRB review as well as review from NYU Langone's DSSB.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Jan 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2026, 7 months after the start.
Of 508 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 53. This study's planned 7 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 623 studies reached it within 27 months; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 50.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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