Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation in ADHD
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, PhD
- Where
- Austin, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 140 people, planned
- Started
- 1 Sept 2025
- Expected to end
- Dec 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Active transcranial photobiomodulation
- Sham transcranial photobiomodulation
- Record updated
- 22 June 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years to 44 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
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Who can take part
- English-speaking
- Adults of any sex
- Age range: 18-44 years
- Any ethnic/racial background
- Medical history of ADHD
- Participants may either be on a stable ADHD medication regimen (with no changes within two weeks prior to the study) or not taking medication
Who cannot take part
- Currently pregnancy
- Any sham or active photobiomodulation treatment within the past five weeks
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 44 years old?
Where in United States
- The University of Texas at AustinAustin, United StatesContact: Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, Ph.D.Taking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The investigators have previously shown that non-invasive methods of brain stimulation such as the administration of transcranial infrared light to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can result in improvements to cognition and emotion as well as brain oxygenation. This method is called transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM).
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The investigators hypothesize that tPBM can improve cognition and brain oxygenation in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The investigators will investigate the effects of repeated tPBM sessions on cognitive functioning in adults with ADHD. Specifically, the investigators hypothesize that participants that receive tPBM will show improvements in response control, sustained attention, and working memory, as well as improvements in prefrontal hemodynamics and a reduction in ADHD symptoms.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Active transcranial photobiomodulationExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants in this arm will receive active transcranial photobiomodulation to the forehead, targeting prefrontal cortex.
- Sham transcranial photobiomodulationSham treatment, for comparison
Participants in this arm will undergo this same procedure as the active group, but with no 1064-nm light emitted by the device.
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation on Cognition and Brain Metabolism in Adults With ADHD
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07203092, who can take part
- Record updated
- 22 June 2026