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. 2024 Dec;46(6):6583-6623.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01231-y. Epub 2024 Jun 11.

Photobiomodulation in the aging brain: a systematic review from animal models to humans

Lucía Rodríguez-Fernández  1 , Candela Zorzo  2 , Jorge L Arias  3
Affiliations

Photobiomodulation in the aging brain: a systematic review from animal models to humans

Lucía Rodríguez-Fernández et al. Geroscience. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Aging is a multifactorial biological process that may be associated with cognitive decline. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-pharmacological therapy that shows promising results in the treatment or prevention of age-related cognitive impairments. The aim of this review is to compile the preclinical and clinical evidence of the effect of PBM during aging in healthy and pathological conditions, including behavioral analysis and neuropsychological assessment, as well as brain-related modifications. 37 studies were identified by searching in PubMed, Scopus, and PsycInfo databases. Most studies use wavelengths of 800, 810, or 1064 nm but intensity and days of application were highly variable. In animal studies, it has been shown improvements in spatial memory, episodic-like memory, social memory, while different results have been found in recognition memory. Locomotor activity improved in Parkinson disease models. In healthy aged humans, it has been outlined improvements in working memory, cognitive inhibition, and lexical/semantic access, while general cognition was mainly enhanced on Alzheimer disease or mild cognitive impairment. Anxiety assessment is scarce and shows mixed results. As for brain activity, results outline promising effects of PBM in reversing metabolic alterations and enhancing mitochondrial function, as evidenced by restored CCO activity and ATP levels. Additionally, PBM demonstrated neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hemodynamic effects. The findings suggest that PBM holds promise as a non-invasive intervention for enhancing cognitive function, and in the modulation of brain functional reorganization. It is necessary to develop standardized protocols for the correct, beneficial, and homogeneous use of PBM.

Keywords: Aging; Brain; Cognition; Emotion; Photobiomodulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare no conflicts of interest

Authors declare no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Literature flow diagram of the selection process in the different phases of the systematic review
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic representation of PBM application. Image shows PBM transcranial (A) and intranasal (B) application on human patients. (C) shows a graphic representation of transcranial application and generalized in chamber (D) application of PBM in a rodent model
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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