Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and affects thousands of people every year. Even after the initial injury heals, many patients live with ongoing memory problems, poor concentration, headaches, and mood changes. Standard treatments often focus on symptom management, but researchers are actively looking for therapies that help the brain itself recover. A recent case series by Rindner et al. (2022) explored an innovative approach: transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS), a form of photobiomodulation that uses gentle near‑infrared light to stimulate the brain’s natural healing processes (Rindner et al., 2022).
In this study, eleven adults diagnosed with TBI received TILS sessions, the treatment used a wavelength of 1064 nm with a power density of 250 mW/cm². Each session involved ten minutes of laser application to each side of the frontal lobes, specifically targeting Brodmann area 10. These regions were located precisely with MRI‑guided neuronavigation to ensure accuracy. Participants underwent up to eight sessions over several weeks. The light gently penetrates the skull and is believed to enhance mitochondrial energy production, improve blood flow, and support neuronal function. Both patients and operators wore protective eyewear during the procedures, and the sessions were carried out with care to avoid exposure to the eyes.
The results of the study are encouraging. There were no reported adverse events or serious side effects, showing that TILS was well tolerated by all participants. The main outcome was the Global Rating of Change (GRC), a patient‑reported measure ranging from ‑5 for “much worse” to +5 for “much better.” Seven out of nine participants who completed the protocol reported clinically significant improvements, with scores of +2 or higher. Improvements were also seen in neurocognitive testing. On a verbal learning task (RAVLT), eight out of eleven participants improved by at least one point, a statistically significant change. On an executive function task (CWI), six improved and two stayed the same. Mood questionnaires also revealed positive shifts: five participants showed reduced anxiety scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and eight participants showed improved depression scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, with several moving below clinical cutoffs.
These findings suggest that TILS is safe and may offer meaningful cognitive and emotional benefits for people recovering from TBI. While this was a small case series without a control group, the results align with other emerging research showing that light‑based therapy can enhance cerebral oxygenation and support functional recovery in the brain. For patients and families, this is promising news, as a gentle, non‑drug intervention like TILS could complement traditional rehabilitation therapies. For clinicians and researchers, these early results provide a strong foundation for larger controlled trials to confirm efficacy, determine the best timing after injury, and refine treatment schedules.
Reference:
Rindner ES, Haroon JM, Jordan KG, et al. Transcranial infrared laser stimulation for the treatment of traumatic brain injury: A case series. J Lasers Med Sci. 2022;13:e65. doi:10.34172/jlms.2022.65.