Pulsed Transcranial Red/Near-Infrared Light Therapy Using Light-Emitting Diodes Improves Cerebral Blood Flow and...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Photomedicine

Background:

• Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) demonstrates efficacy in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) across human and animal models.
• Chronic TBI significantly impacts Veterans' cognitive function and quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of pulsed transcranial PBMT (tPBMT) with LEDs on cognitive function and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in Veterans with chronic TBI.
• To evaluate the potential of tPBMT as a non-invasive therapeutic intervention for long-term TBI consequences.

Main Methods:

• Twelve Veterans with chronic TBI (>18 months post-trauma) received 6 weeks of pulsed tPBMT (20 min, thrice weekly) using red/near-infrared LEDs.
• Neuropsychological test scores and quantitative/qualitative SPECT measures of rCBF were assessed pre- and post-treatment.

Main Results:

• Pulsed tPBMT significantly improved neuropsychological scores in 40% of subscales (p < 0.05).
• SPECT analysis revealed increased rCBF in 66.7% of participants, with quantitative analysis showing a significant increase in rCBF (p = 0.007).
• This study is the first to report quantitative SPECT analysis of rCBF following pulsed tPBMT in TBI patients.

Conclusions:

• Pulsed tPBMT using LEDs demonstrates potential for improving cognitive function and rCBF in Veterans with chronic TBI.
• The findings support further investigation with larger, controlled studies to confirm the efficacy of tPBMT for TBI.
• tPBMT offers a promising non-pharmacological approach for managing long-term TBI effects.