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Effectiveness of Light Therapy Across Seasons

18. maj 2026 opdateret af: Claudia Simons, Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg Eindhoven (GGzE)

Is the Antidepressant Effect of Light Therapy for People With a Depressive Disorder Comparable in the Spring/Summer vs Autumn/Winter?

This study investigates whether the antidepressant effects of bright light therapy (BLT) differ between the spring/summer season and the autumn/winter season in adults with depressive disorders. While BLT is an established treatment for seasonal affective disorder, increasing evidence suggests it may also be effective for non-seasonal depression. However, it remains unclear whether its effectiveness depends on seasonal variation in natural daylight exposure.

In this prospective study conducted in a routine clinical care setting, patients referred for depressive symptoms and a score of > 6 on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR) receive BLT in a structured "Light Café" environment. Participants undergo daily morning light therapy sessions (30 minutes at 10,000 lux) for at least one week, with possible extension up to three weeks based on treatment response. A delayed-start design is used, where a subset of participants begins treatment two weeks later, allowing comparison with the natural course of depressive symptoms.

Depressive symptoms are assessed using the QIDS-SR at baseline, during treatment, and at follow-up (6 weeks and 3 months post-treatment). Sleep quality, chronotype, circadian timing, and side effects are also measured.

The primary objective is to compare the effectiveness of BLT across seasons. Secondary objectives include evaluating the persistence of treatment effects, assessing the change in sleep quality and day-to-day sleep-wake pattern, and exploring whether outcomes vary by chronotype, circadian phase, and patient characteristics.

This study aims to inform whether BLT should be considered a year-round treatment option for depressive disorders and to better understand factors influencing individual treatment response.

Studieoversigt

Status

Afsluttet

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Undersøgelsestype

Observationel

Tilmelding (Faktiske)

212

Kontakter og lokationer

Dette afsnit indeholder kontaktoplysninger for dem, der udfører undersøgelsen, og oplysninger om, hvor denne undersøgelse udføres.

Studiesteder

  • Holland
      • Eindhoven, Holland, 5626ND
        • GGzE

Deltagelseskriterier

Forskere leder efter personer, der passer til en bestemt beskrivelse, kaldet berettigelseskriterier. Nogle eksempler på disse kriterier er en persons generelle helbredstilstand eller tidligere behandlinger.

Berettigelseskriterier

Aldre berettiget til at studere

  • Voksen
  • Ældre voksen

Tager imod sunde frivillige

Ingen

Prøveudtagningsmetode

Ikke-sandsynlighedsprøve

Studiebefolkning

The study population consists of patients with depression who are referred for treatment of depressive symptoms within a mental health care setting (GGzE, Eindhoven, The Netherlands), where bright light therapy is offered in a structured "Light Café" environment as part of routine clinical care.

Beskrivelse

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older
  • Diagnosis of a depressive disorder (unipolar or bipolar), including both seasonal and non-seasonal depression
  • Currently indicated for bright light therapy
  • QIDS-SR score ≥ 6 at baseline
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Sufficient proficiency in Dutch or English to complete questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current (hypo)manic or mixed episode
  • Current psychotic episode
  • Severe suicidal ideation requiring immediate intervention
  • Diagnosis of dementia
  • QIDS-SR score ≤ 5 at baseline
  • Age < 18 years
  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Insufficient language proficiency to complete study questionnaires
  • Initiation, dose change, or switch of antidepressant medication within 3 weeks before or during light therapy
  • Long-term use of agomelatine

Relative Contraindications (require consultation with treating physician before participation):

  • Pregnancy (first trimester)
  • Diabetes or other systemic vascular diseases
  • Eye conditions associated with increased light sensitivity
  • Epilepsy

Medication-Related Considerations:

  • Participants are advised not to start antibiotics during light therapy (existing courses should be completed prior to participation)
  • Participants are advised to discontinue use of photosensitizing medications or topical agents during treatment
  • Participants are asked to discontinue melatonin use during light therapy
  • A wash-out period of 1 month is required after discontinuation of melatonin or short-term agomelatine use before starting light therapy

Studieplan

Dette afsnit indeholder detaljer om studieplanen, herunder hvordan undersøgelsen er designet, og hvad undersøgelsen måler.

Hvordan er undersøgelsen tilrettelagt?

Design detaljer

Kohorter og interventioner

Gruppe / kohorte
Intervention / Behandling
Spring/summer
Patients with a depression who received bright light therapy as part of routine clinical care. For the purpose of the analyses, participants were categorized based on the season of treatment initiation, with this cohort including those who started treatment during the spring and summer seasons.
Enhed: Bright Light Therapy
Bright Light Therapy (BLT) will be administered according to Dutch depression guidelines, using Innolux LED light lamp (3800K, 10,000 lux). BLT will be given for one work week (Mon-Fri), 7:30-10:30 AM, 30 mins/session. Patients can have breakfast, read, or use devices. Treatment effectiveness will be evaluated using Self-Rated Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR). If remission is achieved (QIDS-SR < 6), no additional treatment is given. If response is insufficient (QIDS-SR ≥ 6), 5 more sessions will be added in the following week, with maximum two extensions (1-3 weeks total).
Autumn/winter
Patients with a depression who received bright light therapy as part of routine clinical care. For the purpose of the analyses, participants were categorized based on the season of treatment initiation, with this cohort including those who started treatment during the autumn and winter seasons.
Enhed: Bright Light Therapy
Bright Light Therapy (BLT) will be administered according to Dutch depression guidelines, using Innolux LED light lamp (3800K, 10,000 lux). BLT will be given for one work week (Mon-Fri), 7:30-10:30 AM, 30 mins/session. Patients can have breakfast, read, or use devices. Treatment effectiveness will be evaluated using Self-Rated Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR). If remission is achieved (QIDS-SR < 6), no additional treatment is given. If response is insufficient (QIDS-SR ≥ 6), 5 more sessions will be added in the following week, with maximum two extensions (1-3 weeks total).

Hvad måler undersøgelsen?

Primære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
Change in depressive symptom severity (QIDS-SR)
Tidsramme: Baseline to end of treatment (approximately 1-3 weeks after initiation of light therapy)
Depressive symptom severity is assessed using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self-Report (QIDS-SR), a validated 16-item questionnaire with total scores ranging from 0 to 27 (higher scores indicating greater symptom severity). The primary outcome is the change in QIDS-SR score from baseline (pre-treatment) to end of light therapy. The analysis compares changes between participants treated in the spring/summer season and those treated in the autumn/winter season, while accounting for the delayed-start control condition.
Baseline to end of treatment (approximately 1-3 weeks after initiation of light therapy)

Sekundære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
Sustained change in depressive symptoms (QIDS-SR follow-up)
Tidsramme: End of treatment to 6 weeks and 3 months post-treatment
Depressive symptom severity is assessed using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self-Report (QIDS-SR), a validated 16-item questionnaire with total scores ranging from 0 to 27 (higher scores indicating greater symptom severity). This secondary outcome evaluates the persistence of treatment effects by comparing post-treatment scores to follow-up scores.
End of treatment to 6 weeks and 3 months post-treatment
Change in sleep quality (PSQI)
Tidsramme: Baseline to 6 weeks and 3 months post-treatment
Sleep quality is measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a validated self-report questionnaire with total scores ranging from 0 to 21 (higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality). The outcome reflects change in sleep quality following light therapy.
Baseline to 6 weeks and 3 months post-treatment
Chronotype (MEQ)
Tidsramme: Baseline (chronotype assessment), end of treatment (1-3 weeks after initiation of light therapy), 6 weeks post-treatment, and 3 months post-treatment
Chronotype is assessed using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). This outcome examines whether baseline chronotype moderates changes in depressive symptom severity following light therapy.
Baseline (chronotype assessment), end of treatment (1-3 weeks after initiation of light therapy), 6 weeks post-treatment, and 3 months post-treatment
Adverse Events and Side Effects
Tidsramme: At the end of each treatment week, up to 3 weeks
Side effects are assessed using a self-report questionnaire capturing the presence and severity of common light therapy-related symptoms (e.g., headache, eye irritation, sleep disturbances).
At the end of each treatment week, up to 3 weeks
Change in Sleep-Wake Pattern during treatment
Tidsramme: Twice weekly during treatment, up to 3 weeks
Sleep timing, duration, quality and fragmentation, are assessed using a shortened sleep diary based on the Consensus Sleep Diary. This outcome evaluates changes in sleep patterns during light therapy and their relation to treatment response. Participants completed the diaries in the clinic on Mondays and Fridays, reporting retrospectively on their sleep during the preceding nights (i.e., Friday-Sunday nights for Monday entries and Monday-Thursday nights for Friday entries).
Twice weekly during treatment, up to 3 weeks

Samarbejdspartnere og efterforskere

Det er her, du vil finde personer og organisationer, der er involveret i denne undersøgelse.

Sponsor

Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg Eindhoven (GGzE)

Datoer for undersøgelser

Disse datoer sporer fremskridtene for indsendelser af undersøgelsesrekord og resumeresultater til ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieregistreringer og rapporterede resultater gennemgås af National Library of Medicine (NLM) for at sikre, at de opfylder specifikke kvalitetskontrolstandarder, før de offentliggøres på den offentlige hjemmeside.

Studer store datoer

Studiestart (Faktiske)

1. januar 2021

Primær færdiggørelse (Faktiske)

7. oktober 2022

Studieafslutning (Faktiske)

23. december 2022

Datoer for studieregistrering

Først indsendt

12. maj 2026

Først indsendt, der opfyldte QC-kriterier

18. maj 2026

Først opslået (Faktiske)

20. maj 2026

Opdateringer af undersøgelsesjournaler

Sidste opdatering sendt (Faktiske)

20. maj 2026

Sidste opdatering indsendt, der opfyldte kvalitetskontrolkriterier

18. maj 2026

Sidst verificeret

1. maj 2026

Mere information

Begreber relateret til denne undersøgelse

Nøgleord

Yderligere relevante MeSH-vilkår

Andre undersøgelses-id-numre

  • ILB/2020038

Plan for individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)

Planlægger du at dele individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)?

INGEN

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