Intranasal photobiomodulation (iPBM) is a distinct form of application of photobiomodulation. In itself, photobiomodulation (PBM) is a relatively new field. Even the word itself is quite new. It is familiar to mostly a limited group of scientists, engineers, early adopters and health practitioners. However, the applications and effects of PBM are gathering more interest and attention from the scientific and medical communities. Over the last 2-3 years this interest has become stronger, as new research has delivered more supportive evidence.

At this time the research specific to iPBM is limited, and it is no surprise, considering how novel this method is. Nevertheless, some studies point to strong possibilities that intranasal photobiomodulation can support and strengthen immune system via mitochondrial and cellular functions. Importantly, potential applications for intranasal PBM can be numerous, and already research studies are planned in search of more evidence.

As it is often the case with any new technology, it attracts more skepticism than support in its early days. This is a normal course of development for most novelties. History has plenty of examples of misunderstandings directed at important inventions, from cars and airplanes to, more recently, the Internet. The common misunderstanding was to consider those inventions temporary fads. Intranasal photobiomodulation is likely the newest form of PBM, and as such it gathers healthy doses of interest and skepticism.

Is there evidence supporting intranasal photobiomodulation’s effectiveness?

The only way to win the skeptics over is to provide strong evidence in support of intranasal photobiomodulation’s effectiveness. Luckily, a body of such supporting evidence is growing, as more scientists are taking closer looks at PBM.

This momentum-gaining is happening mainly due to four critical factors associated with PBM in general. Factor one is the success of exploratory studies, resulting in robust scientific validation of the PBM method for numerous applications. Factor two is the noninvasive nature of this modality. Simplicity of PBM delivery is factor three. Last, but not least, factor four is cost-effectiveness of the PBM procedures.

However, no matter how attractive PBM may look to researchers, most regulatory bodies require solid data to permit medical use. Intranasal photobiomodulation is no exception. While numerous studies create a generally positive and promising picture of PBM for many applications, these studies present a somewhat fragmented view. Yet, fragmentation, although challenging, is a common starting point to solving any puzzle.

Any reasonable solution would require a creative approach to organizing existing data from numerous photobiomodulation studies into meaningful metrics. Subsequently, when all known pieces are put together, it is much easier to understand what is missing. This approach would allow development of a methodical search for the missing data, which could support medical applications for PBM. Opportunities for such applications are numerous, and those include intranasal photobiomodulation applications.

What prospects for intranasal photobiomodulation does data show?

What about the analytical approach to scientific research in PBM and iPBM? For example, is it important to look at all the data in order to connect the dots for applications of intranasal photobiomodulaton? If you are interested in the future of PBM as a clinical therapy, you may be curious about the answers.

What does photobiomodulation research have to do with detective’s work?

Every once in a while you are likely to catch yourself making an inference based on partial facts, fragmented data, or observations which are not sufficient for a clear-cut conclusion. In some cases a deductive reasoning approach can be very effective. After all, this is what most detectives do. Remember the infamous Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his incredible deductive method and abilities?

Actually, more often than not, intelligence and counterintelligence analysts have to use partial data to understand and complete a puzzle. Research is a lot like the work of detectives and analysts, and similarities in approach are warranted. In general, most analysts use extrapolations and statistics in their analyses. It is reasonable to assume that oftentimes many of such deductions lead to correct conclusions and proofs. Otherwise, analytical deductions would not be an accepted practice.

Photobiomodulation and its applications should not be any different, when it comes to connecting the dots to find missing pieces. Thus, the theory of probabilities can be helpful in solving some convoluted puzzles and offering keys to finding better answers. Whatever the path to finding the right answers may be, the most important part is to find an undeniable validation. Ultimately, such validation will be based on solid scientific data, even if the intermittent research utilized deductions and creative guessing.

Experimental design approach and intranasal photobiomodulation

Experimental design is another practical area where partial data can lead to useful conclusions. Practice of experimental design can provide valuable insights and solutions relevant to intranasal photobiomodulation and PBM in general. The concept of experimental design is used in many industries and for numerous applications, including scientific research.
For example, many scientific studies employ experimental design principles to prove a “concept”, or rather a hypothesis. In addition to complying with regulatory requirements and various standards, researchers have the flexibility to test their hypotheses. Thus, they can manipulate different variables in a study, to achieve and observe changes in the outcomes. This is a form of experimental design in practice.

However, in scientific research, the number of variables can be dramatically high. This fact limits the possibility to test all variations in outcomes. Consequently, in such cases, researchers would have to base their conclusions on the data derived from limited samples. Therefore, they would have to resort to extrapolation based on the sampled data. Thus, the quality and integrity of the sampled data is of critical importance in making correct conclusions.

PBM and iPBM have promising future

This all may sound too scientific for some of you and not enough so for others. Whatever category you are in, you are most likely have some interest in PBM. The important part is that a lot of work is being done to investigate photobiomodulation effects on the human brain and on the body’s systemic functions. In investigations of the former, primarily transcranial photobiomodulation devices emitting near infrared light are used. For investigations of the latter, the red-light emitting intranasal photobiomodulation devices may be of better use. However, in many cases, combinations of both provide promising outcomes and warrant more investigations to gain valuable data.

The more valid scientific data is available, the faster we will answer the numerous PBM-related questions. With science on the side of PBM, the range of its applications to improve human body functions will expand.

The post What about Intranasal Photobiomodulation’s Effectiveness and Research? first appeared on Vielight Inc - Deutsch.

The post What about Intranasal Photobiomodulation’s Effectiveness and Research? appeared first on Vielight Inc - Deutsch.

Therapeutic Effects of Brain Photobiomodulation

The therapeutic effects of brain photobiomodulation therapy are enhanced oxygenation^[1], brain energy metabolism^[2], neuronal protection^[3] and neurogenesis^[4](production of neurons). Most importantly, these factors can trigger an increase in mental acuity and improvement in brain functions. All these facts point to an affirmative answer to the the question of “can light therapy help the brain?”Above all, tPBM is completely non-invasive, has no significant side effects and dose not employ any artificial chemicals. Furthermore, the light does penetrate deep enough to reach the brain and numerous studies support this as a fact. If you’d like to learn more about the penetration of near infrared light through the skull, you can read this article.

Independent research in the field of brain photobiomodulation using Vielight technology has demonstrated efficacy in a wide range of applications. The following are some examples of such findings. Independent research demonstrated neural oscillation modulation through brain photobiomodulation. Neural oscillations, or brainwaves, are repetitive patterns of neural activity that can be recorded. Neural oscillations can vary depending on the brain state and neural activity.

Moreover, pre-clinical studies by researchers at the University of California San Francisco on dementia patients showed that transcranial PBM can enhance cerebral blood flow and neural connectivity in specific brain regions. Lastly, researchers at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System are investigating the efficacy of brain photobiomodulation to treat gulf war illness. You can read more ongoing and completed, and published research on this page which has a list of studies with links.

Mechanisms that help to answer the question
of “can light therapy help the brain?”

Figure 1. Mechanism of photobiomodulation therapy in mitochondria^[5]

A) Photobiomodulation stimulates cytochrome c oxidase, which increases ATP synthesis.
This results in the enhancement of neuronal respiration and metabolism.

B) Photobiomodulation dissociates nitric oxide from the center, increasing the proton gradient.
(The proton gradient is a product of the electron transport chain. A higher concentration of protons
outside the inner membrane of the mitochondria than inside the membrane is the driving force
behind ATP synthesis).

Brain Bioenergetics

Brain photobiomodulation has an enhancing effect on neuronal mitochondria without any negative side effects or harmful chemicals. Additionally, brain disorders are commonly caused by mitochondrial dysfunction^[6] because brain tissue is rich in mitochondria^[7].

Results from a study on human neuronal cells (808 nm) reveals that maximum ATP production occurred at 10 minutes post-irradiation.^[8] Also, another study^[9] using phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) evaluated the metabolic rate in neurons following transcranial laser therapy (808 nm). Correspondingly, repeated irradiation over 2 weeks showed prolonged beneficial effects and improved cerebral bioenergetics.

Neural Oscillations

The discovery of the effect of brain photobiomodulation PBM on neural activities and brain oscillations is groundbreaking. In this cross-over, double-blind study, the results revealed a significant effect of transcranial near-infrared light (810 nm wavelength) at a 40 Hz pulsing rate. The effects were on the power, functional connectivity and synchronization of endogenous brain activity.

The potential of brain PBM to modulate brain activity opens new opportunities for research and therapy. In a published study, delivering NIR light energy pulsed at 40 Hz to the hubs of the default mode network significantly increases the power of the high oscillatory frequencies of alpha, beta and gamma. Ultimately, this points towards the potential of brain PBM to improve focus and memory encoding.

Cerebral Blood Flow

Blood flow to the brain is vital because neurons need oxygen to function properly. Inadequate blood flow to the brain has been linked to several dysfunctions, such as depression and anxiety. According to pre-clinical findings, tPBM could potentially increase nitric oxide in neurons, which leads to an increase in cerebral blood flow^[10]. Furthermore, in the most recent clinical investigations by the University of Texas, improvement in cerebral oxygenation was found both during and following transcranial laser irradiation.^[11]

Clinical research using Vielight technology by the University of California, San Francisco, on people with dementia has shown that brain photobiomodulation can increase cerebral blood flow. Thus, leading to an overall increase in their cognitive function.

Neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation is inflammation of brain tissue which is mediated by microglial cells. Thus, microglial cells respond to neuronal damage by releasing pro-inflammatory markers (cytokines). Furthermore, inflammatory cytokines play a role in initiating the inflammatory response. Moreover, dysregulation of proinflammatory cytokines has been linked to depression and other neurological diseases.

In an early study^[12], researchers assessed the anti-inflammatory effects of NIR lasers on the alteration of cerebral interleukins in cryogenic brain injury. Notebly, they found a decreased level at 24 hours compared to 6 hours. In addition, brain photobiomodulation activated cellular immunity via increasing the presence of interleukins in blood cells at 20 days post-stroke.

To sum up, these studies supports the idea that the anti-inflammatory effects of brain PBM may be due to its ability to modulate microglial activity.

Neurogenesis

Increased expression of neurotrophins (proteins inducing survival and development of neurons) may account for observations of stimulation of neurogenesis.^[13] The neurogenesis effects of tPBM was demonstrated in TBI mice models.^[14] In a series of studies, researchers determined the optimal regimen of tPBM (810 nm) for neuroprotection in mice with TBI. As a result, they reported that tPBM sessions, delivered for 1 to 3 consecutive days, notably stimulated neurogenesis.

Conclusion

At this point you hopefully feel more confident in answering the question posed in the subject of this article, “Can light therapy help the brain?”. Considering all the research noted in  this article, the answer seems to be self-evident. Because neural tissues contain large amounts of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, brain photobiomodulation has great potential. Improving mental acuity through enhanced cerebral metabolic function and blood flow, stimulating neurogenesis and providing neuroprotection are the most important effects of brain PBM therapy.

Figure 2 Beneficial effects of brain photobiomodulation
Source : Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Aug; 55(8): 6601–6636

References

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3. Quirk BJ, Torbey M, Buchmann E, Verma S, Whelan HT. Near-infrared photobiomodulation in an animal model of traumatic brain injury: improvements at the behavioral and biochemical levels. Photomed Laser Surg. 2012;30(9):523–529
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6. Passarella S, Karu T. Absorption of monochromatic and narrow band radiation in the visible and near IR by both mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial photoacceptors results in photobiomodulation. J Photochem Photobiol B, Biol. 2014;140:344–358
7. Schwarz TL. Mitochondrial trafficking in neurons. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2013;5(6):a011304.
8. Oron U, Ilic S, De Taboada L, Streeter J. Ga-As (808 nm) laser irradiation enhances ATP production in human neuronal cells in culture. Photomed Laser Surg. 2007;25(3):180–182.
9. Mintzopoulos D, Gillis TE, Tedford CE, Kaufman MJ. Effects of Near-Infrared Light on Cerebral Bioenergetics Measured with Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Photomed Laser Surg. 2017;35(8):395–400
10. Uozumi Y, Nawashiro H, Sato S, Kawauchi S, Shima K, Kikuchi M. Targeted increase in cerebral blood flow by transcranial near-infrared laser irradiation. Lasers Surg Med. 2010;42(6):566–576.
11. Wang X, Tian F, Reddy DD, Nalawade SS, Barrett DW, Gonzalez-Lima F, Liu H. Up-regulation of cerebral cytochrome-c-oxidase and hemodynamics by transcranial infrared laser stimulation: A broadband near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2017;37(12):3789–3802.
12. Moreira MS, Velasco IT, Ferreira LS, Ariga SKK, Barbeiro DF, Meneguzzo DT, Abatepaulo F, Marques MM. Effect of phototherapy with low intensity laser on local and systemic immunomodulation following focal brain damage in rat. J Photochem Photobiol B, Biol. 2009;97(3):145–151.
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14. Xuan W, Vatansever F, Huang L, Wu Q, Xuan Y, Dai T, Ando T, Xu T, Huang Y-Y, Hamblin MR. Transcranial low-level laser therapy improves neurological performance in traumatic brain injury in mice: effect of treatment repetition regimen. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e53454.

The post Can Light Therapy Help the Brain? first appeared on Vielight Inc - Deutsch.

The post Can Light Therapy Help the Brain? appeared first on Vielight Inc - Deutsch.