Research shows that an infrared light therapy may be helpful for people with dementia

Researchers say that infrared light therapy may have the potential to help people with dementia

A preliminary study led by Dr.

Therefore, the researchers said that transcranial photobiomodulation therapy (PBM-T) may also have potential benefits for patients with dementia

They emphasized that more research is needed on the use and effectiveness of this therapy, but their pilot results are promising

The research was published in " Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine and Laser Surgery " magazine

This study observed 14 healthy people over the age of 45 from the UK.

Scientists performed a series of memory, language and motor skills tests on the two groups of participants before and after treatment to see if their functions have improved

The researchers found that compared with the control group, healthy people who received PBM-T had significant improvements in motor function (finger tap), memory performance (mathematical processing, a type of working memory), delayed memory, and brain processing speed

Participants did not report adverse reactions caused by the treatment

Dr.

"Although this is only a preliminary study and more research is needed, there are prospects that infrared light therapy may also be beneficial for patients with dementia, which is worth exploring

" We know that infrared light of a specific wavelength can help relieve nerve cell damage, amyloid load and reduce blood flow in the brain, which is very common in patients with dementia, so it can be used as a game-changing multimodal treatment.

"This may provide a new disease improvement strategy for dementia, which may alleviate many serious problems faced by dementia patients and reduce the burden on their caregivers

The PBM-T helmet was designed by Dr.

Its working principle is to send infrared light emitted by an array of LED lights cooled by 14 fans into the depths of the brain, focused by the skull, with a wavelength between 1060 and 1080 nanometers, providing 1368 joules for the skull every 6 minutes of treatment cycle Energy
.

This stimulates the mitochondria, which produce most of the chemical energy required for the cell's biochemical reactions
.
This, in turn, causes the level of an organic compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to rise.
In patients with dementia, this compound drops significantly to provide energy for the functioning of living cells and help nerve cells repair
.

Researchers say this therapy can also increase the level of nitric oxide, thereby increasing blood flow in the brain by improving the flexibility of the vascular lining
.
This opens up the blood vessels and more oxygen can reach the white matter deep in the brain
.

The patient can easily wear a helmet, which means that treatment can be easily performed at home
.
Researchers believe that it may also be beneficial for other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury or motor neuron disease
.
The price of each helmet is about £7,250
.

Dr.
Gordon Dougal, head of joint research at Maculume Co.
, Ltd.
said: “Current clinical practice can only create conditions for optimal recovery, with little or no impact on cell function
.
Laboratory work exploring the mechanism of action of PBM-T1068 has shown that this treatment The tool may well help dead brain cells to regenerate functional cells again
.

"More research is needed to fully understand its mechanism of action
.
"

This preliminary study was carried out after 20 years of work by Dr.
Chazot.
Through a series of in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies, the identification, development and verification of a specific wavelength of infrared light for the treatment of dementia
.

These studies show for the first time that PBM-T with a specific wavelength improves memory performance and reduces β-amyloid, a membrane protein that plays an important role in nerve growth and repair, but in later life, it will Increases and destroys nerve cells, leading to loss of thinking and memory in Alzheimer's disease-in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
.

Recently, the two inventors also published the results of an independent pilot Alzheimer’s disease clinical study, which was published in the journal Cureus and Aging and Disease, led by Dr.
Jason Huang (Texas A&M University), indicating that PBM-T1068 -Also known as transcranial near-infrared (tNIR) therapy-has similar profound and rapid positive effects on men and women with mild to moderate dementia
.

For example, in this study, 39 patients received a 6-minute PBM-T treatment for 8 weeks, twice a day, and the other group consisted of 17 patients using fake helmets
.

In the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), women who received treatment showed a 20% improvement, while men had a 19% improvement (an increase of 4.
8 MMSE units), and only received 8 weeks of treatment
.
In contrast, women and men in the control group increased by 6.
5% and 5.
9%, respectively
.

After two to three weeks, participants reported that they were more energetic, more emotional, less anxious, and had better physical and mental involvement in daily activities
.
The nursing staff also noticed an improvement in mood
.

Similarly, during or after the Cureus study, participants or caregivers did not report treatment-related adverse reactions
.

Anyone interested in participating in infrared light therapy research can send an email to paul.
chazot@durham.
ac.
uk or GordonRdougal@gmail.
com to register their interest
.

case study

Grandma Tracey Sloan started using infrared light therapy helmets to help improve her memory
.

She said that after wearing the helmet for a few weeks, she found that she had made progress in memorizing simple information, which she had to write down before, or she would forget it
.

She also noticed improvements in her sleep and mood
.

Tracy, 56 years old, is a general practitioner from Petrie in Durham County
.
She is in good general health and has not diagnosed a disease that would affect her memory .

For three months, she wore a helmet every morning and evening for 6 minutes each time
.

Tracy has two daughters and two grandsons.
She said: "My memory is inherently poor.
I don't think my memory will improve as I get older, so I want to try this therapy
.

"I'm not sure it will be different, but to be honest, I think it will
.

"After a few weeks, I noticed that my sleep pattern has improved, and I feel more relaxed and more energetic
.

"I am not a moody person, but my youngest daughter said that I have become less moody.
My manager often smiled and said that the treatment must work because I don't need to write things down
.
"

Tracy said the helmet is easy to use and she wears it when watching TV at night
.

"My kids will look at me and say,'What are you wearing on your head?' But I think if it helps me, it's worth it
.
"

"It is very light and can be plugged in while I am wearing it
.
"

Tracy stopped using this therapy after the trial period ended.
She thought that her bad memory returned after she stopped the treatment
.

She added: "I would love to use it again because there is no doubt that it really helped me
.

"If people can afford something like this, and it can greatly improve your quality of life, then I suggest you give it a try
.
"

Original search:

Photobiomodulation Photomedicine and Laser Surgery

DOI

10.
1089/pho.
2020.
4956