Advances in photobiomodulation for cognitive improvement by near-infrared derived multiple strategies

Wei-Tong Pan; Pan-Miao Liu; Daqing Ma; Jian-Jun Yang

doi:10.1186/s12967-023-03988-w

Advances in photobiomodulation for cognitive improvement by near-infrared derived multiple strategies

J Transl Med. 2023 Feb 22;21(1):135. doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-03988-w.

Authors

Wei-Tong Pan^#^{1

2

3}, Pan-Miao Liu^#^{1

2

3}, Daqing Ma^{4

5}, Jian-Jun Yang^{6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
² Neuroscience Research Institute, Zhengzhou University Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
³ Henan Province International Joint Laboratory of Pain, Cognition and Emotion, Zhengzhou, 450000, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Division of Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine & Intensive Care, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, UK. d.ma@imperial.ac.uk.
⁵ National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310052, China. d.ma@imperial.ac.uk.
⁶ Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. yjyangjj@zzu.edu.cn.
⁷ Neuroscience Research Institute, Zhengzhou University Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. yjyangjj@zzu.edu.cn.
⁸ Henan Province International Joint Laboratory of Pain, Cognition and Emotion, Zhengzhou, 450000, People's Republic of China. yjyangjj@zzu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Cognitive function is an important ability of the brain, but cognitive dysfunction can easily develop once the brain is injured in various neuropathological conditions or diseases. Photobiomodulation therapy is a type of noninvasive physical therapy that is gradually emerging in the field of neuroscience. Transcranial photobiomodulation has been commonly used to regulate neural activity in the superficial cortex. To stimulate deeper brain activity, advanced photobiomodulation techniques in conjunction with photosensitive nanoparticles have been developed. This review addresses the mechanisms of photobiomodulation on neurons and neural networks and discusses the advantages, disadvantages and potential applications of photobiomodulation alone or in combination with photosensitive nanoparticles. Photobiomodulation and its associated strategies may provide new breakthrough treatments for cognitive improvement.

Keywords: Cognitive; Nanoparticles; Near-infrared light; Photobiomodulation; Photothermal.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain
Cognition
Humans
Low-Level Light Therapy* / methods
Nervous System Diseases*
Neurons