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

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

66

Phase

  • 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

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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Collaborators

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)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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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