# Promoting cognitive resilience and reducing frailty in older Veterans with bright light therapy

> **NIH VA I21** · KANSAS CITY VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Promoting cognition and reducing frailty in older Veterans with bright light therapy
 Frailty is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by vulnerability to stressors that increases
disability and mortality risk. Thirty percent of Veterans 65 years or older are frail, which is three-times
higher than aged matched non-Veterans. Frailty is intricately linked with cognitive impairment and
Veterans are particularly susceptible with 14 percent exhibiting cognitive decline, some with early onset
as young as 45 years of age. Importantly, 70% of frail and cognitively impaired older adults exhibit sleep
disturbances, which makes identifying and improving sleep quality an attractive therapeutic strategy to
enhance healthspan. Furthermore, this is of special interest as 55% of older Veterans experience sleep
disturbances. The goal of this study is to examine the feasibility of utilizing bright light therapy (BLT)
as a strategy to improve sleep via reduction of circadian rhythm disturbances. The long-term goal is to
assess the potential for improving cognition and reducing frailty in older Veterans. BLT works by
resynchronizing the hypothalamic biological clock via brief exposure to specific wavelengths of light
following awakening, which restores melatonin and circadian rhythms. However, BLT has not been
examined for reducing frailty in older Veteran populations. This project will therefore lay the foundation
for larger trials the evaluate BLT in the treatment and prevention of cognitive disorders and to promote
healthy aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10754551
- **Project number:** 5I21RX004420-02
- **Recipient organization:** KANSAS CITY VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Bruce R. Troen
- **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10754551

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10754551, Promoting cognitive resilience and reducing frailty in older Veterans with bright light therapy (5I21RX004420-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10754551. Licensed CC0.

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