Low Intensity 'Blue Light' Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder

August 9, 2011 updated by: University Medical Center Groningen

Randomized and Controlled Study of the Effects of Low Intensity 'Blue Light'in the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder

One of the most frequently investigated hypothesis of the pathophysiology underlying Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) or so called winter depression is a disturbance of circadian rhythms. Since the circadian system is especially sensitive for the blue portion of the light spectrum, a new light therapy device with more blue light (blue enriched polychromatic light) was tested for its efficacy to treat SAD. In chronobiological terms this light is hypothesized to be more potent in inducing non-visual effects. In the present study fluorescent tubes that emit a high portion of short wavelength light on top of the normal wavelengths are tested for its superiority in treating SAD. This blue-enriched light (colour temperature 17000 ºK) is compared to standard light treatment (5000 º K) in SAD patients.,In a earlier study it was shown that the therapeutic effect of blue enriched light were equal to standard light treatment using light in both conditions with an intensity of 10 000 lux. In the present study, blue enriched light with an intensity of 750 lux was used, because of the possible saturation effect in the former study. The investigators hypothesise that blue- enriched light with a low intensity improve the therapeutic effects of light treatment leading to a higher response or the same response in a shorter time schedule compared to standard light treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

22

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-65
  • Diagnose of Seasonal Affective Disorder, winter type according to DSM-IV SIGH SAD rating Higher then or equal to 18 on day 1
  • No other treatments for mood disorder during the study
  • Stay in the Netherlands during the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Other axis-I disorders according to the DSM-IV
  • Acute suicide risk
  • Use of psychotropic drugs or photosensitizing drugs
  • No other treatments for mood disorder during the study
  • Diabetes or epilepsy
  • Regular shift work

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: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: TRIPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Standard light treatment
standard light treatment 5000K; 10 000 lux
Device: standard light treatment
standard light treatment, 30 minutes, 10 000 lux
Other Names:
  • Philips Energylight HF 3309, 2 lamps PLL36 W, color 5000K, 10 000 lux
EXPERIMENTAL: blue enriched light
Blue enriched light with a low intensity (750 lux)
Device: Blue enriched light with a low intensity
30 minutes in the morning, 750 lux
Other Names:
  • Blue enriched light treatment
  • Philips energy light HF 3309, 2 lamps PLL36 W 17000 K

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SIGH-SAD
Time Frame: weekly
Structured Interview Guide of the Hamilton Depression Scale, seasonal affective disorder version
weekly

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Medical Center Groningen

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

October 1, 2008

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

March 1, 2009

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

March 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 22, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 22, 2010

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 23, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

August 10, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 9, 2011

Last Verified

October 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • METc 2008.184

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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