Vielight Neuro Gamma Shines in a Brain Injury Study

The sports medicine community recognizes that concussions from repetitive blows to the head are major public health concerns. To address this issue, Vielight is dedicating resources to seek for a solution using non-invasive transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) modality. We try to be a part of the solution by investing in quality research and development of tPBM devices as potential treatment options. We work with research labs such as Dr Margaret Naeser’s at the Boston University School of Medicine in association with the Boston VA. Several universities employ Vielight devices in their independent research.

One such research center, headed by Dr. David Tate at the University of Utah Department of Neurology, studied concussion using the Vielight RX Gamma as a treatment modality. They presented the results of their study at the recent 10th Annual Symposium of the Sports Neuropsychology Society in Dallas, Texas. Through this independent study, over a period of eight weeks, they studied 49 male and female former athletes with histories of concussion and/or repetitive subconcussive events. All participants had concussive symptoms caused by repeated blows to the head.

The university-led study used the Vielight Neuro RX Gamma to alleviate common symptoms of concussion.

The research team reported significant differences in their pre- and post-treatment experiences. When the RX-Gamma was used, there were improvements in symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress, adjustment, sleep quality, reaction time, and bilateral grip strength. The RX Gamma is a clinical trial version of the Vielight Neuro Gamma tPBM device. Both are designed for home use. A summary of the findings can be accessed here: https://www.vielight. com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TPBMTreatment-Effects-in-Former-Athleteswith-Repetitive-Head-Hits-Liebel-04-22. pdf

Commenting on this study, Vielight’s CEO, Dr. Lew Lim, remarked, “The University of Utah’s study supports the positive effects that photobiomodulation (PBM) has on post-concussion symptoms. We are grateful that this university chose the Vielight Neuro RX Gamma to test our assumption that it could help with these circumstances. The encouraging results from this study give hope to people suffering from brain injury that healing is possible, when PBM is applied to the brain with the RX Gamma. Vielight’s only role in this independent study was to supply the devices.”

Watch the video here:

Vielight-Sponsored Study Discovers New Understanding in PBM Mechanisms

As part of the effort to develop more effective PBM devices, Vielight continues to invest in understanding fundamental cellular mechanisms related to PBM. In another study, Vielight collaborated with Dr. Jack Tuszynski’s lab at the University of Alberta. The aim of this study was to better understand how photons (light) delivered to the brain via PBM behave and participate in cellular mechanisms and how the cells receive, process, and transmit signals within themselves and their environment.

Although the efficacy of PBM has been reported over the years, its biochemical mechanisms are still poorly understood. For example, the effects of PBM on living cells and the role of microtubules in neuronal signaling are largely unknown.

Several important novel discoveries were made in our collaborative study with Dr. Jack Tuszynski’s lab. Firstly, living cells were exposed to light from a Vielight 810 Infrared LED in an in vitro experiment. The results showed that the cells responded with an increase in electrical current flow and resistance in the microtubules. This may suggest that PBM controls the toxic actions of excitatory neurotransmitters with inhibitory capabilities by keeping them in check.

In the second set of experiments, the research team studied how microtubules within a cell respond to low-intensity PBM. The microtubules were observed to disassemble widely when they were exposed to low-intensity near-infrared (NIR) light. This discovery suggests that low-intensity NIR PBM causes the mitochondria (the cells that create energy for all cells in a body) to be more active. It suggests that low-intensity NIR PBM causes mitochondrial activity to increase and demonstrates the efficacy of low-intensity PBM.

In the final set of experiments, the incubating solution for the tissues was changed slightly. It produced effects that were opposite to that observed in the earlier experiment when microtubules were observed to reassemble. This experiment shows that PBM produces different outcomes when the solutions are changed, reflecting dynamic tissue properties in living organisms.

In summary, the experimental results at the University of Alberta show that mechanisms of PBM are even more complex than expected. There is more work to be done to fully understand the mechanisms and how their systems can be controlled. Vielight has plans for more research in this area, which may lead to personalized PBM parameters in the future. Our work continues! This paper can be accessed at: https:// www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fmedt.2022.871196/full.

Vielight Plans for More Online Public Education

PBM is increasingly recognized for its potential to improve health and well-being. This opens the field to future research in understanding the complex and intriguing processes which our bodies undergo to heal themselves when given help from PBM. We receive increasing requests for education, particularly in response to the introduction of our sophisticated Neuro Pro device. Attendees of our first webinar on the potential of the Neuro Pro on March 31, 2022 expressed their appreciation. The webinar can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiaVM68PQj0&. We plan to organize more teaching webinars on PBM, particularly regarding how it can help one’s mental health. In the meantime, due to increasing demands on our staff resources, we are likely to scale back our presence in conferences. Please, continue to follow us for further updates.

We welcome Dr. Mahroo Karimpoor

The latest addition to our research team is Dr. Mahroo Karimpoor, PhD, as a Research Scientist in Photobiomodulation and Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering. Mahroo is also an expert meditator and will be involved in the areas of meditation and mindfulness. Her last engagement was in tissue engineering and related disciplines at University College, London, UK.

Recent Educational Media

These educational videos and podcast would be of interest to those interested in Vielight and PBM technology:
• Penijean Gracefire and Sanjay Manchanda – Neuro Pro Photobiomodulation – Discovering the Possibilities Webinar. March 31, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiaVM68PQj0
• Lew Lim. Cognitive Enhance with Light Therapy. NuroFlex Podcast. March 8, 2022: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xYC0B41rU0mWj0W31kmAy
• Lew Lim. Photobiomodulation – The Energy-based Path to Higher Consciousness and Wellness. Immersive Wellness Summit 2021, Quantum University. October 9, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IkuevUXLR8k
• Lew Lim. A Pivotal Clinical Trial Evaluating a Home-used Photobiomodulation Device in the Treatment of COVID-19 Respiratory Symptoms. PBM 2021, October 1-3, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j-3h1NrKSs
• Lew Lim. Quantum Elements in Brain Photobiomodulation: new discoveries and new theories. PBM 2021, October 1-3, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2l1aepfcMo

What can a research study reveal and where can it lead? These are the main questions that we are discussing in this blog post. Hence, focusing on the subject of what a chronic stroke patients study can tell, we take a dive into a researcher’s world of science, analysis and discovery.

Last month we published an interview with Margaret Naeser, PhD, located at the VA Boston Healthcare System, and Research Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine. She shared many very interesting facts from her research work in transcranial photobiomodulation.

This month we continue our interview with Prof. Naeser. We asked her to elaborate on other directions in her research which is very significant in scope. This time we asked Prof. Naeser only one question. Her answer was much more than what we could hope for, and you can read it below.

Why have you chosen your areas of research and what would be the potential benefits of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) in those areas?

My first area of tPBM research was with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it was chosen for me. In 2007, Michael R. Hamblin, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School contacted me, at the Boston VA Medical Center, to see if the Department of Veterans Affairs would be interested to use tPBM to help treat soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who may have cognitive problems following TBI and IED blast exposure.

Dr. Hamblin was aware that a paper was about to be published in the medical journal, Stroke. This paper was showing that tPBM, using a near infrared light (NIR) wavelength of light, could penetrate through skin, skull and the meninges to reach brain cortex, to help reduce symptom severity in acute stroke patients. (Lampl et al., 2007.) Consequently, I agreed to follow up on this. Since then, we have published three TBI papers. Our papers show improved cognition in chronic TBI, following a series of tPBM treatments. (Naeser et al., 2011; 2014; and 2016 review.) We were able to conduct an open-protocol study using transcranial, light-emitting diodes (tLED) with 11 chronic, TBI cases. This study was done through Dr. Ross Zafonte, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Applying Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy to Chronic Stroke Patients with Aphasia.

Because we observed significant improvements following a series of tLED treatments in the chronic TBI cases, we decided to try a tLED protocol with chronic stroke patients who had language problems (aphasia), due to a stroke located in the left hemisphere of the brain.

To summarize, I have over 35 years of brain imaging research with chronic stroke patients, who have aphasia. This, for example, included studying exactly where, within the left hemisphere of the brain, the damage was located. Thus, I used CT scans and MRI scans for this research to pinpoint the lesion sites. Based on those lesion site locations, we studied stroke recovery. We worked on predicting potential for recovery of speech and language comprehension at 1 year after the stroke. Also, from 1999 – 2013, my lab had explored the use of repetitive, transcranial magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS) to improve language in chronic stroke patients with aphasia. Our rTMS research with Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Harvard Medical School, showed that language could be improved with this method.

Thus, I had experience in working with brain plasticity. I wanted to explore other non-invasive brain stimulation methods for patients with brain damage.  I was especially interested to explore the use of tLED, because it had the potential for self-administered, home treatments.

Establishing a tPBM Treatment Protocol for Chronic Stroke Patients with Aphasia.

It took several years to establish an optimal tLED treatment protocol for chronic stroke. It turned out that the tLED treatment protocol for TBI did not work well with the stroke patients.

The tLED protocol for TBI included placement of the LED cluster heads on both sides of the head/brain and all along the midline of the head, from front hairline to back hairline, including both the left and right supplementary motor areas, SMAs at the top of the head. This tLED protocol was helpful for the TBI cases, because they had damage in both sides of the head/brain. However, our best results for treating stroke patients with left hemisphere stroke, who had aphasia, was to only place the LED cluster heads on the same side of the head, as where the stroke had occurred (left side, in aphasia patients), plus only two LED placements on the midline of the head (mesial prefrontal cortex and precuneus which are cortical nodes of the Default Mode Network).

This latter protocol for the left-hemisphere stroke patients with aphasia was observed to significantly increase naming ability. As well, it improved functional connectivity in the Default Mode Network. (Ho, Martin, Yee et al., 2016; Naeser, Ho, Martin et al., PMLS, in press).

Expanding application of our optimal tPBM treatment protocol for language.

The same, optimal tLED treatment protocol we worked out for the left-hemisphere stroke patients with aphasia, is now the tLED placement protocol we think could be helpful in autism spectrum (ASD) and Down Syndrome (DS). Impaired language is often a major problem in children with ASD and DS.

The tLED placements include two midline placements on the Default Mode Network (mesial prefrontal cortex and precuneus) and over the language areas of the left hemisphere (Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area and other left perisylvian language areas). We have a few anecdotal case reports suggesting this tLED protocol was helpful to improve language in children with DS. In these cases, the parents have been treating the children at home. The improvements included new production of complete sentences, vs. only single words prior to the tLED intervention. (Anita Saltmarche, BScN, MHSc, personal communication.) We need to do more research in this area.

For example, our tLED research with the retired, professional football players who are possibly developing CTE, originated from our tLED research protocol with the chronic TBI cases, plus the dementia study done in Toronto. (Saltmarche, Naeser et al., 2017.)

Optimism, more studies, more research, more data.

We continue to be optimistic about the rapidly advancing tLED technology. We are encouraged regarding potential application of red and near-infrared LEDs to help treat other central nervous system disorders. Our goal is to improve quality of life for as long as possible. It is especially important for those who have progressive neurodegenerative disease such as dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as the professional athletes who have suffered repetitive head impacts and are possibly developing CTE.  As I noted above, we need to do more research studies.

To discuss photobiomodulation and the brain’s default mode network we reached out to Prof. Margaret Naeser, at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She is a Research Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine. She kindly provided us with some in-depth, detailed information. We asked her to answer a few questions related to her research in photobiomodulation. We actually asked her the same three questions that we asked Prof. Michael Hamblin and Prof. Jay Sanguinetti. Prof. Naeser had a lot to share with us. We decided to split her answers into two parts. This is part one.

Q: What is photobiomodulation in general? 

Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy is a safe, painless, noninvasive, nonthermal modality. It involves the use of primarily red, and/or near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of light, approximately 600–1100 nm, to stimulate, heal, and repair damaged or dying cells and tissues. Multiple benefits are associated with application of red/NIR PBM to poorly functioning (compromised) cells that are low on oxygen (hypoxic). This includes increased production of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) by the mitochondria. Adequate levels of ATP are important for normal cellular energy and respiration.

There is also increased local blood flow after release of nitric oxide from cytochrome C oxidase in the hypoxic cells. Perhaps to put it more simply, PBM may promote a form of “self-healing” for damaged cells. No negative side effects or serious adverse events have been reported, since initial studies for wound healing began in the 1960’s by Endre Mester, MD in Budapest, Hungary.

Q: What is transcranial photobiomodulation specifically?

Transcranial PBM (tPBM) is the application of, primarily, near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of light (for example, 810nm, 830nm, etc.) to the scalp, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or low-level laser therapy (LLLT). The goal of tPBM is to deliver enough NIR photons to the scalp, so that NIR photons will reach the surface brain cortex areas below the scalp placement areas. Perhaps only 2 to 3% of the photons will reach the surface brain cortex (Wan, Parrish, Anderson, Madden, 1981). Studies show the depth of penetration of some NIR (808 nm) photons into the brain, reach up to 4-5 cm (Tedford et al., 2015). The NIR photons are hypothesized to improve cellular function in damaged brain cells. These damaged brain cells are likely low on oxygen and functioning poorly.

Traumatic brain injury and transcranial photobiomodulation

When a traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs, there is damage to nerve cells in brain cortex. There is also damage to the deeper white matter (axons) that connect specific brain cortex areas to each other. These connections are important for normal thinking and memory. When brain cortex is damaged, along with damage to the deeper white matter brain connections, cognitive tasks, such as problem solving and multi-tasking (executive function), cannot be performed with efficiency.

The brain anatomy and physiology relevant to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead and deep to the front sides of the head, are often damaged in TBI. An area of each frontal lobe, located closer to the middle of the brain, is the mesial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) area. This area of the brain has a high demand for glucose and energy in order to function properly (Raichle, 2015; Mormino et al., 2011).

Default Mode Network (DMN) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The mPFC is part of an important neural network, the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN has two cortical “node” areas (collection of nerve cells) located near the midline (middle) of the brain. One is the mPFC (in the frontal lobes) and the second is the precuneus (in the parietal lobes, behind the frontal lobes). These cortical nodes are “active” when a person is daydreaming or sleeping. However, in order for executive function to take place, these two nodes (mPFC and precuneus) must down-regulate (de-activate) simultaneously. This must occur, in order to permit up-regulation (activation) of other parts of the frontal lobes, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) on the sides of the frontal lobes, in order to perform executive functions.

However, after TBI, the “nodes” of the DMN are often dysfunctional and cannot “turn off” or down-regulate, simultaneously. Thus, they prevent up-regulation of the dlPFC parts of the frontal lobes which are necessary for executive function and normal brain function. Poor cellular function in the mPFC following TBI can have devastating effects on cognition, including poor executive function. One goal in using tPBM to treat chronic TBI cases is to deliver NIR photons to poorly functioning cells in the cortical “nodes” of the DMN – especially the mPFC and precuneus. The mPFC location, at the center front hairline area on the forehead, makes it an especially vulnerable place for head impact and brain damage.

Additional brain dysfunction related to TBI

In TBI there is often twisting and shearing of the white matter axons, due to the angular force of the head trauma. This type of brain damage is also present after exposure to the blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded within 100 yards of someone. Ultimately (based on animal studies), this blast wave produces poor mitochondrial function in the nerve cells. Furthermore, there is low production of ATP, as well as lower cerebral blood flow to that part of the brain.

Can a brain with TBI benefit from transcranial photobiomodulation?

After tPBM application of NIR photons to the damaged brain areas, the ATP levels are expected to increase, as well as local blood flow to the area due to release of nitric oxide. Several research labs have shown increased, local cerebral blood flow after tPBM (Schiffer et al., 2009; Nawashiro et al., 2012; Naeser, Ho, Martin et al., 2012; Ho, Martin, Yee et al., 2016; Hipskind et al., 2019; Chao, 2019).

Thus, following tPBM treatments, there is increased cerebral blood flow near the areas treated. Furthermore, the damaged cells begin to function more normally, with increased production of ATP. Our research has observed that in chronic TBI cases after a series of 18 red/NIR tPBM treatments (3 times per week, six weeks), post-testing scores showed significant improvements in executive function and verbal memory, as well as reduced symptoms of PTSD (Naeser, Zafonte et al., 2014; Naeser, Martin, Ho et al., 2016; Naeser, Saltmarche et al., 2011). These improvements were present at 1 week after the final, 18^th, tPBM treatment. Also, there was additional improvement 1 month and 2 months later, without any intervening tPBM treatments, in these chronic TBI cases.

How the use of transcranial photobiomodulation is different for TBI and stroke?

In TBI, there is damage to both sides of the brain, due to the twisting and shearing of the axons during the TBI event. In stroke patients, however, there is usually brain damage to only one side of the brain, where the stroke occurred. Thus, in TBI cases we apply the tPBM to both sides of the head. However, in stroke cases, we apply tPBM to only the side of the head where the stroke occurred – i.e., where the compromised/hypoxic cells are located. (Naeser, Ho, Martin, et al., 2012; Ho, Martin, Yee et al., 2016; Naeser, Ho, Martin et al., PMLS in press.)

Q: Based on your research work, what do you view as the most promising areas for photobiomodulation applications?

Our early studies with tPBM have observed significant improvements in brain disorders including TBI, PTSD, dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease, possible, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in athletes who have suffered repetitive head impacts, and stroke. Results for tPBM with TBI/PTSD were reviewed above (Naeser et al., 2011; 2014; 2016). In our study with five mild to moderately severe dementia patients treated in Toronto, after 12 weeks of tPBM treatments, there were significant improvements on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), p<0.003) and on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale for Cognition (ADAS-cog) (p<0.023) as tested once, within a week after the final tPBM treatment. All transcranial photobiomodulation treatments were stopped at the end of the 12-week treatment series (weeks 13 to 16).

After that 4-week, no-treatment period, there was decline from the previous gains. This suggests that continued tPBM treatments, including transcranial LED (tLED) at-home treatments, would be appropriate to consider, when treating patients with a progressive, neurodegenerative disease.

Case studies: Using tPBM to treat retired athletes, possibly developing CTE

We have recently had the opportunity to work with a few retired, professional football players, ages 57 and 65, who may be developing symptoms of the progressive neurodegenerative disease, CTE. Both responded well to a 6-week, In-Office tLED treatment series. Improvements were in executive function and verbal memory. In addition, there were reduced emotional outbursts (symptoms of PTSD), less depression and better sleep. These improvements were present for both retired football players, at one week and at one month after completing the 18th, In-Office tPBM treatment. The red/NIR tLED treatments were administered to the left and right sides of the head, as well as to the midline cortical “node” areas of the DMN, including mPFC and precuneus (Naeser, Martin, Ho et al., International Brain Injury Association, IBIA, Meeting, Toronto, March 2019).

At-home transcranial photobiomodulation treatment for TBI with possible CTE.
Applying NIR LED light to the brain’s Default Mode Network.

Additional, follow-up data are available for the first football player. At two months after the final In-Office tLED treatment, his initial gains wore off. His emotional outbursts, depression, poor sleep and worsening executive function and verbal memory returned. He then obtained his own transcranial LED device, where the diodes were pulsed at 40 Hz (Neuro Gamma). This football player treated himself at home three times per week, for three months. He also used a red-light, 633nm, intranasal LED device.

What is the Neuro Gamma tPBM device?

The Neuro Gamma device is designed to deliver NIR photons primarily, only to the cortical “node” areas of the Default Mode Network. These include the mPFC, precuneus, left and right intraparietal sulcus areas/angular gyrus areas. There is also a single NIR diode used in the nose (intranasal PBM). Presumably, this intranasal PBM delivers photons to the olfactory bulbs located on the orbito-frontal cortex (behind the eyebrows). There are neural connections from the olfactory bulbs to the hippocampus areas, important for memory.

This retired, professional football player returned to our office after three months of using the transcranial NIR home treatments. In these treatments he applied NIR to the cortical “nodes” of the Default Mode Network. Additionally, he used a red-light intranasal LED. His initial gains then returned, or were even better. He has continued the LED treatments at home. He uses only the At-Home, tLED treatment program – the NIR Neuro Gamma device. This device is pulsed at 40 Hz, applied to the cortical “nodes” of the DMN, including the NIR intranasal nose-clip, which is part of the Neuro Gamma; plus a red-light, 633nm, intranasal nose-clip device. The At-home LED treatments have now been on-going for 14 months. He reports that he continues to do well.

What do MRI scans show before and after the tPBM treatments? 

In addition, this retired, professional football player participated in some MRI brain imaging studies before and after the In-Office, and At-Home, tPBM series. A specific type of brain MRI scan, resting-state functional-connectivity MRI, was obtained. This football player showed increased “functional connectivity” between cortical regions of interest in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, as well as within only the left hemisphere, and within only the right hemisphere. This occurred at one week and at one month after the initial In-Office tLED treatment series was finished. However, the improved functional connectivity in cortical brain regions fell off, after three months of no tLED treatments. Furthermore, there was again increased functional connectivity (especially within the left hemisphere) after three months of the At-Home tPBM treatments (Martin, Ho, Bogdanova et al., 2018).

Thus, when working with someone who is potentially developing a progressive neurodegenerative disease, it appears that additional, long-term tLED treatments may be important, in order to maintain any gains made.

What do findings from the current studies and early research using tPBM suggest?

The tLED treatment devices used with the five dementia cases (Saltmarche, Naeser et al., 2017); and with the first, retired professional football player during his At-Home tLED treatments, both applied NIR, 810nm photons to only the cortical node areas of the Default Mode Network – an intrinsic neural network in the brain. The DMN is dysfunctional in dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (Greicius, Srivasta, Reiss et al., 2004).

Alzheimer’s Disease is associated with amyloid-beta and tau abnormal protein deposits located in “nodes” of the DMN. CTE, however, is associated with unique tau abnormal protein deposits located in deep sulci (grooves) of brain cortex, especially near blood vessels (McKee et al., 2009). There are four stages to this progressive neurodegenerative disease, and eventually, the entire brain cortex has tau deposits.

Our early research suggests that treating only the cortical “node” areas of the Default Mode Network (critical for executive function and verbal memory) may be indicated for specific progressive, neurodegenerative disorders. Future tPBM research which includes fMRI brain scans will be important.

Additional areas for application for transcranial photobiomodulation

In addition to the brain disorders for which we have some early tPBM data, there are other disorders where potential for improvements with tPBM exist. Two of them are with children – autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Down Syndrome (DS). In each of these disorders there is dysfunction in the Default Mode Network (DMN), and in the language network, in the left hemisphere. Children with ASD and DS have problems with language development. Treatment of midline, cortical nodes of the DMN (mPFC and precuneus), as well as treatment of the left hemisphere language areas (Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area and other left perisylvian language areas) might be helpful in these disorders.

Those with Down Syndrome also suffer from amyloid-beta, abnormal protein deposits that build up in the brain by age 60. At that time these individuals have developed dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease. Delay or reduced severity of this late-stage dementia might be possible by using tPBM pulsed at 40 Hz. In mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s Disease (Iaccarino et al., 2016), the 40 Hz pulse rate reduced the amounts of amyloid-beta and tau. This occurred only in visual cortex, because the pulsed light was shown only to the eyes. The pulse rate of 40 Hz increased the phagocytosis effect of microglia in the brain.

The midline cortical node areas of the DMN, in combination with tLED placements over the language areas in the left hemisphere, might be a reasonable approach. The treatment may be more effective if started at a young age. These are reasonable areas for future tPBM research.

Other disorders where tPBM could be helpful include Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Research in these areas is underway. John Mitrofanis, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia, is working with PD; and Jeri-Anne Lyons, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, is studying MS.

Millions suffering from TBI and Alzheimer’s Disease need help

In just the US, there are currently 5 million cases with TBI sequelae and 5.8 million cases with Alzheimer’s Disease. If tPBM clinical trials are successful, then tPBM intervention for these disorders could have a large, beneficial impact. It could potentially help to reduce symptom severity in possibly millions of people.

Full Disclosure, Conflict of Interest Statement:
The research lab of Margaret Naeser, PhD, located at the VA Boston Healthcare System receives research funding from the Vielight Inc. There is no personal conflict of interest for her or her staff. 

Light therapy treatments, or photobiomodulation (PBM), has been a subject of heated debates and numerous attacks. Many skeptics and people distant from the science are questioning the benefits of photobiomodulation. Some of them out right rejecting the existence of the therapeutic benefits. Thus, using red and near infrared light (NIR) for therapeutic effects has become a battleground and a source of hope for many.

The fact of the matter is that the benefits, or their absence, can become apparent only through rigorous scientific research and studies. Many of such studies are under way. Neuroscientists and other researchers are working and collaborating to study many possible applications for light therapy. The numerous studies, that are underway, range from small exploratory studies to large-scale clinical studies. Furthermore, the focus of research also ranges significantly. Some explore the effects of near infrared light on people with Alzheimer’s Disease. Others explore the efficacy of the NIR and red-light therapies in treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. The range of possible applications for PBM seems boundless and literally extends from head to toes.

Using light therapy treatment for neurological and psychiatric traumas.

Over the last decade, scientists have been testing the effects of NIR in treatment of neurological and psychiatric traumas. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and polychronic psychological trauma are all subjects to ongoing exploration. The attraction to use photobiomodulation in treatment of such complex neurological and psychiatric traumas and disorders is mainly threefold. One, it is very cost-effective. Two, it offers a non-invasive alternative to common first-line treatments. The last, but, surely, not the least, the PBM therapies can be easily administered at home by the effected individuals.

Discussion about photobiomodulation

To facilitate further discussion about photobiomodulation, we asked researchers, who directly study PBM, to share their experiences and knowledge. One of them is Prof. Margaret Naeser, Ph.D, Research Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine. Prof. Naeser has been studying and practicing photomedicine and light therapy treatments for well over three decades. Some of the most reputable scientific publications have published her work. Many others based their scientific work in the area of light therapy on her published research.

We had a very long chat with Prof. Naeser. Below is the first part of incredibly enlightening conversation which also brought a glimpse of hope.

Conversation about light therapy with Prof. Margaret Naeser, Ph.D. Part one.

We finished the work with stroke and laser therapy in the 1980s. In the 1990s we treated pain in carpal tunnel syndrome with light therapy. Actually, it was red-beam laser. That research was published in an AMA journal, the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, in 2002.

In 2007 I got a phone call from Massachusetts General Hospital, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, very famous center. Mike Hamblin called me out of the blue. I didn’t know them then. He said: “I’d like to speak to Margaret Naeser”, and I said that this was Margaret Naeser. He said: “Margaret, we want to talk to you. You’re the only person we can find in the entire VA (Veteran Affairs) hospital system who’s ever published something on Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), and it’s in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2002. We want to use it on the brain to treat the soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan”. And I was just floored. I couldn’t believe you could deliver photons to the brain.

From curiosity to practice

I was really curious because there were a few papers being published on the use of laser therapy to treat paralysis in stroke. At that time I was working with stroke patients who had aphasia. I also was invited to Shanghai, China, to learn more about the laser therapies. There I lived for two months, and I got to use my Chinese. I also did do research on the application of laser therapies in treating paralysis in stroke. That was at the Boston VA Medical Center in the 1980s. At that time I made several trips to Germany. I learned a lot about laser therapies in Germany and in Austria, and, I might say, in German.

I brought a lot of it back to the Boston VA Medical Center. We worked there originally with stroke and paralysis. Then, in 2002, we published a paper on treating pain in carpal tunnel syndrome with red-beam laser light. That work was published in 2002, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, an American Medical Association journal.

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT): from treating carpal tunnel to treating brain

Getting back to 2007 and the call that came from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Thus, Michael R. Hamblin, Ph.D., famous researcher at Mass General Hospital, called me. He wanted to use red and near-infrared light to heal the brains for the soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I was at first very skeptical about what Michael Hamblin told me. He was sure that we could deliver photons into the brain by placing the laser or LED on the scalp. I just was so skeptical. Perhaps, because I was mostly treating the arm or the leg with paralysis or pain, as in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Regardless, I agreed to work with him. We put our ideas together, and he was right. Later, we did publish our first paper on the use of transcranial light emitting diodes to improve thinking and cognition in traumatic brain injury. That was also with Anita Saltmarche. We only had two cases, but both did well, and some of the treatments were done at home. All that was very impressive to me. Particularly the fact that you could have therapy that could be done by the patient, him or herself, at home.

Studying light therapy for treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

From then on, we started working on a study with eleven traumatic brain injury cases. Those subjects were getting treatment at Harvard Medical School at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The Chief of Rehabilitation there, Dr. Ross Zafonte, agreed that we would do the work there. It was possible because Dr. Michael Hamblin was part of the Harvard Medical School, and I was willing to try that.

We published our findings in a paper in 2014. All of the patients did well. They improved by one or two standard deviations in executive function and verbal memory. There were four cases of the 11 who had PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. They all improved very dramatically. We decided to continue on with that. We worked with different pieces of equipment over time, and we’re still doing it at the Boston VA Medical Center.

Right now we’re working with football players. These are retired professional football players who might be developing CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. That material was in the poster which we presented at the 2019 International Brain Injury Association meeting in Toronto.