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. 2020 Apr 15;10(4):610.
doi: 10.3390/biom10040610.

Photobiomodulation for Parkinson's Disease in Animal Models: A Systematic Review

Farzad Salehpour  1   2   3 , Michael R Hamblin  4   5
Affiliations

Photobiomodulation for Parkinson's Disease in Animal Models: A Systematic Review

Farzad Salehpour et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

Photobiomodulation (PBM) might be an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) in human patients. PBM of the brain uses red or near infrared light delivered from a laser or an LED at relatively low power densities, onto the head (or other body parts) to stimulate the brain and prevent degeneration of neurons. PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra deep within the brain. PD is a movement disorder that also shows various other symptoms affecting the brain and other organs. Treatment involves dopamine replacement therapy or electrical deep brain stimulation. The present systematic review covers reports describing the use of PBM to treat laboratory animal models of PD, in an attempt to draw conclusions about the best choice of parameters and irradiation techniques. There have already been clinical trials of PBM reported in patients, and more are expected in the coming years. PBM is particularly attractive as it is a non-pharmacological treatment, without any major adverse effects (and very few minor ones).

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; abscopal; animal models; low-level laser therapy; parameters; photobiomodulation; transcranial.

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Conflict of interest statement

F.S. is on the Scientific Advisory Board and is a consultant of Niraxx Light Therapeutics, Inc., Irvine, CA and a consultant of ProNeuroLIGHT LLC. Phoenix, AZ. M.R.H. is on the following Scientific Advisory Boards: Transdermal Cap, Inc.; Cleveland, OH; BeWell Global, Inc.; Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Hologenix, Inc. Santa Monica, CA; LumiThera, Inc., Poulsbo, WA; Vielight, Toronto, Canada; Bright Photomedicine, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Quantum Dynamics LLC, Cambridge, MA; Global Photon, Inc., Bee Cave, TX; Medical Coherence, Boston MA; NeuroThera, Newark DE; JOOVV, Inc., Minneapolis-St. Paul MN; AIRx Medical, Pleasanton CA; FIR Industries, Inc. Ramsey, NJ; UVLRx Therapeutics, Oldsmar, FL;UltraluxUV, Inc., Lansing MI; Illumiheal & Petthera, Shoreline, WA; MB Lasertherapy, Houston, TX; ARRC LED, San Clemente, CA; Varuna Biomedical Corp. Incline Village, NV; Niraxx Light Therapeutics, Inc., Boston, MA; M.R.H. has been a consultant for Lexington Int, Boca Raton, FL; USHIO Corp, Japan; Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; Philips Electronics Nederland B.V.; Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Philadelphia, PA; Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; M.R.H. is a stockholder in Global Photon, Inc., Bee Cave, TX; Mitonix, Newark, DE.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Systematic review flow chart for the inclusion of eligible studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photograph of the “light bucket” described by Hamilton et al. [24].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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