Pulsed Near Infrared Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation Significantly Modulates Neural Oscillations: a pilot exploratory study

Abstract

Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is the application of low levels of red or near-infrared (NIR) light to stimulate neural tissues. Here, we administer tPBM in the form of NIR light (810 nm wavelength) pulsed at 40 Hz to the default mode network (DMN), and examine its effects on human neural oscillations, in a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded trial. Using electroencephalography (EEG), we found that a single session of tPBM significantly increases the power of the higher oscillatory frequencies of alpha, beta and gamma and reduces the power of the slower frequencies of delta and theta in subjects in resting state. Furthermore, the analysis of network properties using inter-regional synchrony via weighted phase lag index (wPLI) and graph theory measures, indicate the effect of tPBM on the integration and segregation of brain networks. These changes were significantly different when compared to sham stimulation. Our preliminary findings demonstrate for the first time that tPBM can be used to non-invasively modulate neural oscillations, and encourage further confirmatory clinical investigations.

Therapeutic potential of intranasal photobiomodulation therapy for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders: a narrative review

“…Third, 40-Hz pulse rate could enhance the brain gamma waves; similar enhancement with visible spectrum was demonstrated and shown to decrease amyloid-β (Aβ) levels and tau phosphorylation in an animal model of AD (Iaccarino et al, 2016). Portable i-PBMT devices, specifically for the 40-Hz PW mode, were tested to improve concentration and cognitive functioning in AD patients (Chao, 2019) and to modulate neural oscillations in healthy individuals (Zomorrodi et al, 2019). Fourth, PD patients treated with 60-Hz frequency deep brain stimulation have shown significant improvements in swallowing and in motor symptoms (Xie et al, 2015).…”

“Photobiomics”: Can Light, Including Photobiomodulation, Alter the Microbiome?

“…[45][46][47][48][49] PBM also affects the cytoskeleton of other cells besides neurons, such as epithelial cells, 50 keratinocytes, 51 and fibroblasts, 52 and has been shown to have effects on protein conformation, including calcium ion channels. [53][54][55] PBM also has an effect on brain oscillation patterns, with changes to alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and theta waves in both mice 56 and humans 57 (El Khoury, et al, unpublished observations) and effects on the default mode network. 58 Many of the diseases treated by PBM are localized by nature and include orthopedic conditions, such as inflammation in joints and tendons, wounds, and fractures.…”

Effects of stimulating frequency of NIR LEDs light irradiation on forehead as quantified by EEG measurements

“…There is some evidence that all these seemingly diverse conditions can be bene¯cially a®ected by applying light to the head. 4,[10][11][12] There is even the possibility that PBM could be used for cognitive enhancement in normal healthy people. 27,34 In this transcranial PBM (tPBM) application, near-infrared (NIR) light is often applied to the forehead because of the better penetration (no hair, longer wavelength).…”

“…11 Using an 810 nm NIR light pulse at 40 Hz, Zomorrodi et al found that a single session of tPBM signi¯cantly increased the power of the subjects' alpha, beta and gamma frequencies and decreased the power of delta and theta frequencies in the resting state. 12 Blanco et al 13 used a speci¯c wavelength laser (1064 nm) to explore whether transcranial laser stimulation improved the performance of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). These results showed that subjects receiving laser treatment had fewer errors than the placebo controls and showed improved set-shifting ability.…”