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Clinical Trial
. 2023 Aug;16(8):e202200391.
doi: 10.1002/jbio.202200391. Epub 2023 Apr 29.

Use of either transcranial or whole-body photobiomodulation treatments improves COVID-19 brain fog

Robert Bowen  1   2 , Praveen R Arany  1   3
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Use of either transcranial or whole-body photobiomodulation treatments improves COVID-19 brain fog

Robert Bowen et al. J Biophotonics. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of post-COVID-19 sequelae involving chronic fatigue and brain fog, for which photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has been utilized. This open-label, pilot, human clinical study examined the efficacy of two PBM devices, for example, a helmet (1070 nm) for transcranial (tPBM) and a light bed (660 and 850 nm) for whole body (wbPBM), over a 4-week period, with 12 treatments for two separate groups (n = 7 per group). Subjects were evaluated with a neuropsychological test battery, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), the trail-making tests A and B, the physical reaction time (PRT), and a quantitative electroencephalography system (WAVi), both pre- and post- the treatment series. Each device for PBM delivery was associated with significant improvements in cognitive tests (p < 0.05 and beyond). Changes in WAVi supported the findings. This study outlines the benefits of utilizing PBM therapy (transcranial or whole-body) to help treat long-COVID brain fog.

Keywords: COVID-19; LLLT; Photobiomodulation therapy; brain fog.

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