ROSA-B: ALAN Exposure and Brain Health in Midlife Women With VMS

September 16, 2026 updated by: Shadab Rahman, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

ROSA-B: Impact of Artificial Light at Night on Brain Health in Midlife Women With Vasomotor Symptom

This randomized, parallel-group study will examine how artificial light exposure during nighttime awakenings affects sleep and brain health in midlife women experiencing vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Participants will be randomly assigned to exposure to either typical indoor-intensity light (approximately 100 lux) or dim light (less than 3 lux) during the night. The study will assess the effects of nighttime light exposure on sleep fragmentation, daytime alertness and sleepiness, stress responses, cognitive and emotional functioning, and daily functioning. It will also explore whether sleep fragmentation helps explain the effects of nighttime light exposure on stress and neuropsychological health. The findings may inform strategies to reduce nighttime light exposure and improve sleep and brain health in women during and after the menopause transition.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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 (Estimated)

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.
66

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.

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

45 years to 58 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • peri/postmenopausal females aged 45-65 years with nocturnal VMS

Exclusion Criteria:

  • selected diagnosed sleep or psychiatric disorders, current treatment with hypnotics or antidepressants, use of systemic hormones, or nocturnal caregiving responsibilities

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Indoor light (~100 lux)
Behavioral: Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) 100 lux

Participants will be exposed to a controlled artificial-light-at-night condition during the scheduled overnight sleep episode. Light will be delivered using a standardized light source at a predetermined intensity and timing to examine its effects on sleep, brain health, and related physiological outcomes in midlife women with vasomotor symptoms.
Active Comparator: Dim Light (~5 lux)
Behavioral: Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Dim Light

Participants will be exposed to a controlled dim-light condition of approximately 5 lux during the scheduled overnight sleep episode. This condition will serve as the comparator for the artificial-light-at-night condition of approximately 100 lux.

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
Wake After Sleep Onset
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) is a measure of sleep fragmentation. Participants complete a daily diary each morning for a week where they report how many minutes they think they were awake the previous night after first falling asleep. Nightly WASO collected over 1 week immediately preceding each timepoint are averaged. Higher WASO indicates more sleep disruption.
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)
Number of lapses on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

Number of lapses recorded during the 10-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a measure of neurobehavioral alertness. A lapse on the PVT is a response to stimulus >500 msec. A higher number of lapses indicates lower vigilance and greater neurobehavioral impairment.
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)
Karolinska Sleepiness Scale
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) is a measure of self-reported sleepiness, a one-item scale from 1 (very alert) to 9 (sleepy; great effort to keep awake).
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)
Resting state stress visual analog scale
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

Self-reported resting state stress is measured using a one-item visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 (Stressed Out) to 100 (Calm/Relaxed). Participants answer the resting state stress VAS each morning upon wake. Daily scores collected over 1 week immediately preceding each timepoint are averaged
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)
Change in cortisol
Time Frame: 2 weeks (end of intervention)

Change in cortisol before and after a 20-minute stress task is measured using salivary biosamples.
2 weeks (end of intervention)
Multi-day learning curve composite score
Time Frame: 2 weeks (end of intervention)

Cognitive function is measured with a multi-day learning curve composite score based on a cognitive assessment that participants complete daily over 1 week preceding the timepoint. The composite score ranges from 0 (no learning) to 1 (optimal learning).
2 weeks (end of intervention)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Depression Scale
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Depression Scale (PROMIS-D) is a self-report short-form to assess depressive symptoms. A higher score indicates more depressive symptoms.
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)
WHODAS 2.0 daily functioning score
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0 is a 36-item self-report questionnaire to assess daily functioning. The score ranges from 0 (no disability) to 100 (full disability).
Baseline and 2 weeks (end of intervention)

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.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

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 (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2030

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).
September 9, 2026

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.
September 16, 2026

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.
September 22, 2026

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.
September 22, 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.
September 16, 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.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 2026P000461
  • 2U54AG062322-06 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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