SynthesisPloS one2023
The effect of light therapy on sleep disorders and psychobehavioral symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Agitation in dementia: Evidence-based consensus recommendations.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2026Review
- Light Exposure Ameliorates Tau-Induced Deficits via Adenosine Signaling and Mitochondrial Quality Control inBiomedicines · 2026Article
- Application of Photostimulation Therapy in Cognitive Function of Alzheimer's Disease Patients: A Scoping Review.Clinical interventions in aging · 2026Article
- [Effects of light therapy on sleep efficiency in older adults in long-term care facilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis].Journal of Korean biological nursing science · 2025Review
- Recent Insights into the Neurobiology of Alzheimer's Disease and Advanced Treatment Strategies.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Wearables in Chronomedicine and Interpretation of Circadian Health.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Modulation of glymphatic system by visual circuit activation alleviates memory impairment and apathy in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Bridging the brain and gut: neuroimmune mechanisms of neuroinflammation and therapeutic insights.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2025Review
- Alzheimer's disease and insomnia: a bibliometric study and visualization analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Review
- Circadian Rhythm Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Bidirectional Perspective and Therapeutic Potential.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Review
- Mapping the Connection Between Circadian Rhythms, Metabolism, and Neurodegeneration: Exploring Therapeutic Strategies.Current Alzheimer research · 2025Review
- Insufficient Sleep and Alzheimer's Disease: Potential Approach for Therapeutic Treatment Methods.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- The constrained-disorder principle defines the functions of systems in nature.Frontiers in network physiology · 2024Review
- A circadian clock regulates the blood-brain barrier across phylogeny.Vitamins and hormones · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough Alzheimer's disease (AD) mainly affects cognitive function, it is often accompanied by sleep disorders and psychobehavioral symptoms. These symptoms, including depression, agitation, and psychotic symptoms, are prominent hospitalization causes among patients with AD. Currently, relatively more research exists on light therapy for sleep disorders, while those on psychobehavioral symptoms are gradually increasing. However, no consensus exists on these results because of the vulnerability of light therapy to multiple factors, including light intensity and duration. Thus, further research investigating this aspect is warranted.
objectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of light therapy in improving sleep disorders and psychobehavioural symptoms in patients with AD.
methodsIn this meta-analysis, relevant literature was searched in Embase, the Clinical Trials Registry, Web of Science, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library up to December 2022. Furthermore, a fixed-effects model was used for data analysis.
resultsFifteen randomized controlled trials involving 598 patients with AD were included. In the case of sleep disorders, our meta-analysis revealed that light therapy significantly improved sleep efficiency (MD = -2.42, 95% CI = -3.37 to -1.48, p < 0.00001), increased interdaily stability (MD = -0.04, 95% CI = -0.05 to -0.03, p < 0.00001), and reduced intradaily variability (MD = -0.07, 95% CI = -0.10 to -0.05, p < 0.00001). With respect to psychotic behavior, light therapy was found to alleviate depression (MD = -2.55, 95% CI = -2.98 to -2.12, p < 0.00001) as well as reduce agitation (MD = -3.97, 95% CI = -5.09 to -2.84, p < 0.00001) and caregiver burden (MD = -3.57, 95% CI = -5.28 to -1.87, p < 0.00001).
conclusionLight therapy leads to significant improvement in sleep and psychobehavioral symptoms and is associated with relatively fewer side effects in patients with AD, indicating its potential as a promising treatment option for AD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.