The Effect of Light Intervention on Recovery in Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · Feb 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how bright light therapy (BLT) can help individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) improve their sleep and overall recovery. OUD is a serious condition where people have a strong dependence on opioids, and it often affects their sleep patterns. The researchers believe that using bright light in the morning may help reset the body's natural sleep-wake cycle and improve mood, cravings, and brain function. Participants in this study will be either exposed to bright light or dim light for two weeks, and their sleep and brain activity will be monitored to see if there are any improvements.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must be between 18 and 60 years old, fluent in English, and currently receiving treatment for OUD with medications like methadone or buprenorphine for at least a month. They should also be stable on their medication and not have certain medical conditions that could interfere with the study. If you join the trial, you will be asked to spend about 30 minutes each morning in light therapy, and your sleep patterns and feelings will be assessed before and after the treatment. This research could lead to new ways to support recovery for those dealing with OUD.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • All Participants
• • Between 18 and 60 years old
• • Fluent in English
• • Able to provide written informed consent
• • OUD
• • DSM-5 diagnosis of an OUD.
• • ≥12 months of lifetime opioid use
• • Positive on urine drug screen for buprenorphine or methadone
• • Receiving opioid agonist therapy for OUD (e.g., methadone or buprenorphine) with a stable dose for the past month. Must have been stabilized on OMT medication, since the increasing of doses during induction phase might interfere with outcomes and unstable patients might experience strong withdrawal symptoms in the morning which makes them unsuitable for a home-based BLT.
• • Other substance use was not exclusionary, but opioids were identified as primary.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • All Participants
• • Head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes as determined by medical history.
• • history of seizures/epilepsy.
• • Pregnant and/or currently breast-feeding.
• • Presence of ferromagnetic objects in the body that are contraindicated for MRI or fear of enclosed spaces.
• • Eye disease including disease of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye, cataracts, retinopathy, glaucoma, amblyopia, scotoma, color or night blindness, corneal pathologies, macular degeneration, or retinitis pigmentosa reported by history or identified by eye exam
• • History of eye surgery
• • Chronic migraine triggered by bright light
• • worked night shift or traveled across\>2 time zones in the past month
• • OUD
• • diagnosis of substance use disorder other than for opioids that was deemed to be primary
• • lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or suicidality.
• • History of light treatment
• • Unstable dose of psychiatric medication (hypnotics, sleep aids, and antidepressants must be stable for 30 days before and during the study)
• • HC
• • Current or past DSM-IV or DSM-5 diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder including substance use disorder (except for nicotine/caffeine).
• • Current DSM-5 sleep-wake disorders including insomnia disorder