Transcranial photobiomodulation therapy in older women regarding cognitive functions: a systematic review

Transcranial photobiomodulation therapy (tPBM) is a promising non-invasive treatment that uses red or near-infrared light to modulate biological functions and elicit therapeutic effects. This systematic review aimed to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of tPBM in improving cognitive function in older women, in experimental animal models and in humans, by analyzing the optimal tPBM parameters and behavioral and neurobiological outcomes. tPBM offers advantages specific to older women as a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, applied to a sensitive population with increased risk of ageing-related brain dysfunction due to increased life expectancy. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases, and only seven articles on older women were included in the review. Studies have shown that tPBM significantly improves cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, stroke, cognition and Parkinson's disease in older women. Despite the heterogeneity in the application parameters and limited number of studies, tPBM therapy was preliminarily found to be a safe, feasible, and effective non-pharmacological therapy for several neurological and mental health conditions in older women. Further research is required to establish standardized protocols for optimal therapeutic applications.