What are the effects of different doses of transcranial near-infrared light stimulation (photobiomodulation) on cognition and resting-state brain functional connectivity in older adults?
Transcranial PBM Helmet, a randomized trial (J Biophotonics 2023, PMID 37776079) — high-dose near-infrared light stimulation improved brain connectivity and processing speed in older adults in a small study. The study involved a small sample size of 25 participants and requires replication in an adequately powered randomized sham-controlled study.
Source: J Biophotonics 2023, PMID 37776079 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low
J Biophotonics · 2023 · PMID 37776079 · DOI 10.1002/jbio.202300215
High-dose near-infrared light stimulation improved brain connectivity and processing speed in older adults in a small study.
The question
What are the effects of different doses of transcranial near-infrared light stimulation (photobiomodulation) on cognition and resting-state brain functional connectivity in older adults?
What they tested
The study implicitly hypothesizes that photobiomodulation will affect brain activity and cognition in humans, with a dose-response relationship.
How they did it
Twenty-five cognitively normal adults aged 55-70 years were randomized to a single session of either a sham group, a "low-dose" group (26 J/cm2 transcranial, 9 J/cm2 intranasal), or a "high-dose" group (52 J/cm2 transcranial, 18 J/cm2 intranasal) of near-infrared light stimulation. The effects on cognition and resting-state brain functional connectivity were then compared.
What they found
The "high-dose" group showed a significant increase in resting-state functional connectivity of the left superior frontal gyrus with the left planum temporale (p = 0.0016) and with the left inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis (p = 0.0235), compared to the "sham" group. This group also demonstrated a significant improvement in visual search and processing speed (p = 0.012). These effects were observed only in the "high-dose" group.
| Low-Dose | 26 | |
|---|---|---|
| High-Dose | 52 |
Transcranial fluence doses administered to the low-dose and high-dose groups.
What it means
A single session of high-dose transcranial near-infrared light stimulation can significantly increase resting-state functional connectivity in specific brain regions and improve visual search and processing speed in cognitively normal older adults.
Limitations
The study involved a small sample size of 25 participants and requires replication in an adequately powered randomized sham-controlled study.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Dose response of transcranial near infrared light stimulation on cognition in older adults |
|---|---|
| Journal | J Biophotonics |
| Year | 2023 |
| PMID | 37776079 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1002/jbio.202300215 ↗ |
| Topic | Brain, cognition & mood |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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Transcranial PBM Helmet
Targets age-related cognitive decline. Research relevant to this mechanism is indexed on PubMed and linked below; it describes the mechanism rather than this specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the effects of different doses of transcranial near-infrared light stimulation (photobiomodulation) on cognition and resting-state brain functional connectivity in older adults? [Plain-English summary of J Biophotonics 2023, PMID 37776079, DOI 10.1002/jbio.202300215]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37776079.html@misc{magellan_d37776079,
title = {What are the effects of different doses of transcranial near-infrared light stimulation (photobiomodulation) on cognition and resting-state brain functional connectivity in older adults?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37776079.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 37776079; DOI 10.1002/jbio.202300215; J Biophotonics 2023. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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