Table 3 Studies on improvement of cognitive dysfunction in TBI models after transcranial photobiomodulation
Study(year) | Mode | Wavelengths and Irradiation Parameters | Irradiation Approach and Sites | Outcomes or Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Whalen et al (2012) [66] | Male C57BL/6 mice, 3 months of age weighing 25–30 g | 800 nm; 250–1000 mW/cm2,60–210 J/cm2, spot area of 1.32 cm2, 2 or 7 min, CW | A) Via an open craniotomy; Holding probe at 1 cm above head B)B)B)B)B)Transcranially; At the right and left parieto-temporal region | Improved cognitive performance in MWM test (at 60 J/cm2 by transcranially or via an open craniotomy); decreased microglial activation at 48 h post-TBI |
Henderson et al. (2015) [74] | Lamb heads, TBI patients | 810 and 980 nm; 10 and 15 W, 14.8–28.3 J/cm2, 8–12 min per site, 2–3 times/week for 8 weeks, PW at 10 Hz | Transcranially; bilateral forehead, bilateral prefrontal and temporal | Improved symptoms of headache, sleep disturbance, cognition, mood dysregulation, anxiety, and irritability |
Hamblin et al. (2016) [75] | Male BALB/c mice, aged 6–8 week weighing 20–25 g | 810 nm; 25 mW/cm2, 18 J/cm2, spot diameter of 1 cm, 12 min, for 3 or 14 days, CW | Transcranially; Covered the entire skull | By 3 times a day: improved neurological severity score; improved cognitive performance in MWM test; decreased lesion size (at 2–8 weeks post-TBI); increased expression of GFAP in perilesional cortex, Dentate Gyrus and SVZ (at 8 weeks) |
Micci et al (2018) [23] | Male Sprague–Dawley rats (200–350 g) | 808 nm; 10 Nano second pulsed laser (NPLT), 20 Hz, 15 mJ/pulse, 5 min, 300 J/cm2 totally | Transcranially; A 3 mm diameter specially developed fiber-optic bundle system | Transcranial photobiomodulation significantly reduces neuronal death and inflammation, increases neurotrophin expression and proliferation of neural progenitors in the hippocampus, and improves vestibulomotor and cognitive functions |
Micci et al (2020) [76] | Male Sprague–Dawley rats (350 g–400 g) | 808 nm; 10 Nano pulsed laser (NPLT), 15 mJ/pulse, 5 min, 20 Hz, 300 J/cm2 totally | Transcranially; A 3 mm diameter optical fiber | TBI models' cognition and neurogenesis can be mitigated. NPLT significantly decreased aberrant migration of neural progenitors, while preventing TBI-induced upregulation of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in NSC |