What this study is
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of increasing brain energy on cognition. The hypothesis is that by using a special kind of light, in combination with a nutritional supplement, it may be possible to increase energy production in the brain, which may lead to improvements in cognition.
What's being tested
- Active transcranial photobiomodulation
Intervention · DEVICE
Infrared light delivered to the forehead, administered with a headset using light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
- Active MCT dietary supplementation
Intervention · DIETARY SUPPLEMENT
Commercially-available food-grade refined coconut oil for ketogenic dietary supplementation
- Sham photobiomodulation
Intervention · DEVICE
Identical procedure as active group, but with 5% of light emitted by the device.
- Sham dietary supplementation
Intervention · DIETARY SUPPLEMENT
Identical appearance and administration as active dietary supplementation, but with commercially-available food-grade sunflower oil (comparable caloric value without ketone production).
Study details
- Sponsor
- Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, PhD
- Conditions
- Cognition Improvement · Emotion Regulation
- Enrolling
- 180 people
- Starts
- 2026-10-01
- Est. completion
- 2030-05
- Design
- Quadruple-blind, randomized, factorial
- Record
- View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Who can join
Age 18 Years – 85 YearsSex ALLHealthy volunteers AcceptedYou may qualify if
- Age: 18-85 years old
- No uncorrected visual, auditory, or motor impairments that would interfere with performing cognitive tasks
You can't join if
- Transcranial photobiomodulation in the last six weeks
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant
- Breastfeeding or plans to breastfeed
- Major depressive disorder
- Psychotic disorders
- Suicidal ideation within the past 6 months
- Plans for serious medical procedures in the next 3 months
- Serious hepatic or liver-related conditions
- History of neurotrauma (e.g., brain lesions or traumatic brain injury)
- Presently on a ketogenic diet
Sign in and we'll check these against your records.Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Loading treatment details…
Study locations (1)
1 openThe University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, United States
Study team
Sponsor
Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, PhD
Study ID STUDY00009139
Frequently asked questions
The sponsor hasn't published answers to common questions for this trial.