Transcranial photobiomodulation for the brain: a wide range of clinical applications

Photobiomodulation therapy(PBMT)is a rapidly growing approach to the healing,stimulation,protection,and regeneration of many human organs and tissue types.PBMT started in the 1960s as low-level laser therapy for wound healing,but since then the introduction of light-emitting diodes(LEDs)has dramatically increased the number of applications and reports of positive results.PBMT generally uses red(620-700 nm)and/or near-infrared(780-1270 nm)wavelengths of light at an intensity that causes no tissue heating,and its activity is based on well-established biological and cellular mechanisms(de Freitas and Hamblin,2016).While laser therapists continue to use various types of laser in their office practice,LEDs are ideally suited for home use devices because they are completely safe and without any known significant adverse effects.Among the various body parts on which PBMT has been shown to exert beneficial effects,the brain stands out as perhaps the most promising overall.PBMT has been shown to reduce neuroinflammation,while increasing mitochondrial function,oxygen consumption,and blood flow within the brain(Hamblin,2016).Moreover,PBMT can stimulate the processes of synaptogenesis,neurogenesis,and neuroplasticity thus helping the brain to heal itself.