Brain health / cognition
Transcranial photobiomodulation for cognitive function systematic review
Lee TL, Ding Z, Chan AS. Ageing Research Reviews. 2023.
A systematic review found many positive cognitive studies, but only about half of clinical trials were randomized and sham-controlled.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
not-panel-replicable
Key findings
- The review identified 35 human studies.
- Twenty-nine studies reported positive cognitive findings after tPBM.
- A common clinical-population protocol used 810 nm, 20-25 mW/cm2, and 1-10 J/cm2.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | 630, 635, 810, 1060, 1068 nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | 25 mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | 10 J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by population and study |
| Duration | Varied by population and study |
| Treatment area | Scalp / transcranial targets |
| Device type | Transcranial photobiomodulation devices |
Caveats
- Transcranial PBM is not equivalent to consumer body-panel use.
- The review includes varied populations, outcomes, and device designs.