2023-09-23 16:23:22
Some new studies suggest that light therapy may be an important and safe treatment for improving cognition and quality of life in people with dementia. (Shutterstock)
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, can severely impair a person’s cognitive abilities and quality of life, and there are currently no effective treatments. The good news is that scientists are looking for new ways to slow the progression of the disease or reduce symptoms, and light therapy is a promising treatment.
Light can cure diseases
Light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation or phototherapy, uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate cells in the body. A study published in the April 2023 issue of the journal “Brain and Behavior”Meta-analysisThe study, which analyzed 12 randomized controlled trials, showed that light therapy “may be one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions for improving core symptoms of dementia.”
The trials involved older adults with different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, and mixed, other causes of dementia.
Dr. Isabella Parker is the associate medical director and director of geriatrics and palliative care at Northwell Long Island Jewish Forest Hills. In an interview with The Epoch Times said these studies show that light therapy can significantly improve cognitive function in people with dementia, including memory, attention and executive functions.
“Positive results are seen in both short-term and long-term interventions,” she said. But she cautioned that light therapy should not replace other dementia treatments, such as medications and behavioral therapies.
Although the field of light therapy is still in its infancy, there is growing evidence to support that light therapy can help improve cognitive function and reduce problems related to cognitive decline.
Light therapy reduces brain inflammation
One of the main functions of light therapy isreduceInflammatory response in the brain. Inflammation is one of the main causes of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
some animal experimentsResearchLight therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation levels in the brain, thereby delaying the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Light therapy can also help by improving the function of your mitochondria. Mitochondria play a vital role in the health of brain cells and are known as the “energy factories” of cells.
Some animal experiments have shown that a special type of light therapy called transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) can improve mitochondrial function, which in turn can improve cognitive function and slow the progression of degenerative neurological diseases.
This treatment uses near-infrared light on the scalp, which is believed to penetrate the skull and stimulate brain cells.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Beijing Normal University found that thisnon-invasive therapyIt can improve people’s short-term memory and working memory by about 10%.Dongwei Li, a visiting doctoral student at the Center for Human Brain Health at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the experimental paper, said in a University of Birmingham paperReport articlesZhong said the treatment is “safe, convenient, non-invasive and has no side effects.”
In this study, 90 male and female volunteers aged between 18 and 25 received laser beam irradiation treatment with a wavelength of 1064nm, irradiating the scalp on the right or left side of the prefrontal cortex of their brains. They also received a placebo treatment to ensure that the observed effects were caused by the light source.
Twelve minutes after the treatment, the volunteers took a memory test. Memory improved significantly in those who received treatment compared to those who did not receive treatment.
A recent systematic studyOverviewIt was shown that combining tPBM with visual stimulation (VS) of specific wavelengths has a significant effect.
The authors of the experimental paper wrote: “Currently conducted human experiments support the use of PBM with 40Hz 810-870 nm light pulses to enhance brain connectivity and memory in older adults and AD (Alzheimer’s disease) patients, and 40Hz VS appears to improve Human cognitive abilities.”
Intense light therapy is highly effective
One type of light therapy being studied is bright light therapy, a treatment in which people are exposed to bright light for a period of time each day.
Bright light therapy is primarily used to treat seasonal affective disorder, but there is oneResearch It has been shown that it may also have benefits for cognitive function in people with dementia. The authors of the research paper found that 30 minutes of bright light therapy “produced encouraging results and had immediate positive effects on mood, activation levels, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate.”
Yuko Hara, director of aging and prevention at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, said sleep-wake cycles are often disrupted in people with dementia.
“Some small studiesshow, light, or phototherapy, may benefit people with dementia by increasing visual input to stimulate specific cells in the hypothalamus that control circadian rhythms. “
This treatment may be promising because it affects a type of disease calledsundown syndrome” feeling of uneasiness that some people with dementia experience at the end of the day.
“Adjusting light sources is one way to prevent or better cope with sundown syndrome,” Hara said. “Exposure to naturally bright light in the morning and soft indoor light in the evening may help regulate a person’s circadian rhythm,” she added. This may also improve sleep quality in people with dementia.Poor sleep and dementiaDecline of memoryrelated. According to some research, using sleep medications may do more harm than good.
“Due to the increased risk of falls, drug interactions, and other adverse events, sleep-promoting medications are not recommended,” Hara said. “Light therapy, on the other hand, is generally safe and harmless.”
While using light therapy to treat degenerative neurological conditions is still a relatively new technology, and the results are promising, it’s important to remember that more research is needed to fully understand how to best use light therapy to treat these diseases.
While light therapy may be a viable option for some people, the potential benefits need to be weighed against the risks, such as skin sensitivity and sleep problems, if used at the wrong time, before making any treatment decisions. We hope that through continued research and innovation, we can develop new treatments and improve the lives of people with neurodegenerative diseases.
For the English report, please see The Epoch Times:Can Exposure to Light Help Fight Dementia？。
Editor in charge: Li Jia◇
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