A Graphene Far-infrared Intervention Study of Cognitive Status in Older Adults

March 24, 2026 updated by: Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
This study is a 4-week group controlled trial to explore whether graphene far-infrared intervention can improve the cognitive status of older adults presenting with symptoms of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and is dedicated to enhancing the cognitive status of older adults and improving their mental health. Participants were older adults who presented with cognitive problems. Participants were divided into SCD and MCI/AD groups based on their cognitive level, and each group was further divided into a graphene far-infrared intervention group and a placebo control group. We also measured the depression and anxiety levels of the older adults and incidentally observed whether the graphene far-infrared intervention could have a positive impact on their mental health outcomes, which was not the focus of our study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
126

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Zhengkui Liu, Ph.D.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100101
        • Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 55 years and above (age limit may be relaxed to not less than 45 years if there is a special desire to participate in the intervention)
  • No barriers to daily communication
  • Individuals participating voluntarily

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Good cognitive functioning (SCD score of 0)
  • Subjective desire to withdraw
  • Individuals who reported discomfort opting out during the experimental procedure

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Graphene far infrared intervention group
The intervention group used the Graphene Far Infrared Intervention (GFII), in which a caregiver who had undergone standardized training wore a graphene cap that could heat up to 40°C on the elderly. The cap was worn by the elderly for a fixed period of time each day and removed after approximately 40 minutes. During the time of wearing the cap, the elderly can perform any activity (e.g., reading the newspaper, watching TV) within the length of the power cord in a sitting, lying, standing position, etc.
Device: a custom-made graphene therapy cap
The GFII involved the use of a custom-made graphene therapy cap. The cap consisted of 3 parts: the main body of the cap, the thermostat and the power adapter. One end of the thermostat was connected to the main body of the cap, and the other end was connected to the power adapter; the adapter was plugged into a 220 V household power outlet. This turned on the cap, and the temperature could be adjusted. The light energy conversion rate of the graphene coating material used in the cap reached 90%, generating a temperature of 40 °C. Five caregivers were responsible for providing care for the elderly individuals. We will provided standardized training on the GFII to their caregivers. Each caregiver was responsible for assisting with the intervention of the elderly individuals that they usually cared for.
Placebo Comparator: Wear a normal heatable cap group
The placebo control group used ordinary hats that could be heated to about 40°C and were worn to the head of the elderly by caregivers who had undergone standardized training. The elderly wore the heat generating cap for a fixed period of time each day and removed it after about 40 minutes. During the period of wearing the cap, the elderly can sit, lie down, stand in the position of the length of the power cord, and carry out any activities (e.g., reading newspaper, watching TV)
Device: A regular cap that generates heat
The rest of the procedure is the same as the GFII group, but the cap used is a regular cap that can heat up to 40°C.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SCD
Time Frame: Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
Depression was assessed by the Self-Rating Scale for Subjective Cognitive Decrease (SCD). The scale consists of 10 items that are scored from 1 (no change) to 3 (significant increase) based on the patient's self-reported subjective cognitive decompensation. A higher total score indicates more severe subjective cognitive decompensation.
Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
MCI/AD
Time Frame: Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
Cognitive function was assessed with the short form of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (s-MoCA). The items are used to examine function in 6 cognitive domains (i.e., visuospatial/executive function, attention, language, abstraction, delayed memory, and orientation). If the number of years of education is less than or equal to 12, the total score is increased by 1 point. The total score ranges from 0 to 18: scores less than or equal to 11 indicate probable mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and scores less than or equal to 4 indicate probable Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
depression
Time Frame: Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 contains nine items scored on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (almost every day) based on the self-reported frequency of depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, and scores above 10 indicate probable depression symptoms.
Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
Anxiety
Time Frame: Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea
Anxiety was assessed with the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). The 7 items are rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (never) to 3 (almost every day) to assess the frequency of anxiety symptoms in the past 2 weeks. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, and according to the established criteria, scores above 10 indicate probable anxiety symptoms.
Pre-intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, 4 weeks after the start of the intervention (at which point the intervention ended), 2 weeks after the end of the intervention, and 4 weeks after the end of the intervention (a total of 5 mea

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 11, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 19, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 19, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 24, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2023YFC3605304-1
  • 2023YFC3605304 (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Key Research and Development projects)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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