Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transcranial Photobiomodulation for Anxiety Disorders and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Clinical Handbook of Anxiety Disorders

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Psychiatry ((CCPSY))

Abstract

Photobiomodulation also called “low-level light therapy” or “low-level laser therapy” is a novel device-based treatment used in a variety of conditions including muscle pain, wounds, neuropathic pain, headache, periorbital wrinkles, and alopecia and is currently under investigation for different psychiatric conditions, including anxiety disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Allais G, De Lorenzo C, Quirico PE, Lupi G, Airola G, Mana O, Benedetto C. Non-pharmacological approaches to chronic headaches: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, lasertherapy and acupuncture in transformed migraine treatment. Neurol Sci. 2003;24(Suppl 2):S138–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Anders JJ. The potential of light therapy for central nervous system injury and disease. Photomed Laser Surg. 2009;27:379–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Ando T, Xuan W, Xu T, Dai T, Sharma SK, Kharkwal GB, Huang Y-Y, Wu Q, Whalen MJ, Sato S, Obara M, Hamblin MR. Comparison of therapeutic effects between pulsed and continuous wave 810-nm wavelength laser irradiation for traumatic brain injury in mice. PLoS One. 2011;6:e26212.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Bandelow B, Zohar J, Hollander E, Kasper S, Möller HJ, WFSBP Task Force on Treatment Guidelines for Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive and Post-Traumatic Stress Disoders, Zohar J, Hollander E, Kasper S, Möller HJ, Bandelow B, Allgulander C, Ayuso-Gutierrez J, Baldwin DS, Buenvicius R, Cassano G, Fineberg N, Gabriels L, Hindmarch I, Kaiya H, Klein DF, Lader M, Lecrubier Y, Lépine JP, Liebowitz MR, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Marazziti D, Miguel EC, Oh KS, Preter M, Rupprecht R, Sato M, Starcevic V, Stein DJ, van Ameringen M, Vega J. World Federation of Societies of biological psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders – first revision. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2008;9(4):248–312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Barrett DW, Gonzalez-Lima F. Transcranial infrared laser stimulation produces beneficial cognitive and emotional effects in humans. Neuroscience. 2013;230:13–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Brochado FT, de Jesus LH, Carrard VC, Freddo AL, Chaves KD, Martins MD. Comparative effectiveness of photobiomodulation and manual therapy alone or combined in TMD patients: a randomized clinical trial. Braz Oral Res. 2018;32:e50. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2018.vol32.0050.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Caldieraro MA, Cassano P. Transcranial and systemic photobiomodulation for major depressive disorder: a systematic review of efficacy, tolerability and biological mechanisms. J Affect Disord. 2019;243:262–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.048.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Caldieraro MA, Sani G, Bui E, Cassano P. Long-term near-infrared photobiomodulation for anxious depression complicated by Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2018;38:1. https://doi.org/10.1097/jcp.0000000000000883.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cassano P, Cusin C, Mischoulon D, Hamblin MR, De Taboada L, Pisoni A, Chang T, Yeung A, Ionescu DF, Petrie SR, Nierenberg AA, Fava M, Iosifescu DV. Near-infrared transcranial radiation for major depressive disorder: proof of concept study. Psychiatry J. 2015;2015:352979.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Cassano P, Dording C, Thomas G, Foster S, Yeung A, Uchida M, Hamblin M, Bui E, Fava M, Mischoulon D, Iosifescu DV. Effects of transcranial photobiomodulation with near-infrared light on sexual dysfunction. Lasers Surg Med. 2018a;51(2):127–35.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Cassano P, Fava M. Tolerability issues during long-term treatment with antidepressants. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2004;16:15–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Cassano P, Petrie SR, Hamblin MR, Henderson TA, Iosifescu DV. Review of transcranial photobiomodulation for major depressive disorder: targeting brain metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurogenesis. Neurophotonics. 2016;3:031404.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Cassano P, Petrie SR, Mischoulon D, Cusin C, Katnani H, Yeung A, De Taboada L, Archibald A, Bui E, Baer L, Chang T, Chen J, Pedrelli P, Fisher L, Farabaugh A, Hamblin M, Alpert J, Fava M, Iosifescu DV. Transcranial Photobiomodulation for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The ELATED-2 pilot trial. Photomed Laser Surg. 2018b;4490.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Chaves ME d A, de Araújo AR, Piancastelli ACC, Pinotti M. Effects of low-power light therapy on wound healing: LASER x LED. An Bras Dermatol. 2014;89:616–23.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Chung H, Dai T, Sharma SK, Huang Y-Y, Carroll JD, Hamblin MR. The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012;40:516–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. da Silva MM, Albertini R, de Tarso Camillo de Carvalho P, Leal-Junior ECP, Bussadori SK, Vieira SS, Bocalini DS, de Oliveira LVF, Grandinetti V, Silva JA, Serra AJ. Randomized, blinded, controlled trial on effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy and exercise training in the fibromyalgia treatment. Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33:343–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2388-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. De Taboada L, Yu J, El-Amouri S, Gattoni-Celli S, Richieri S, McCarthy T, Streeter J, Kindy MS. Transcranial laser therapy attenuates amyloid-β peptide neuropathology in amyloid-β protein precursor transgenic mice. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;23:521–35.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fedoce A d G, Ferreira F, Bota RG, Bonet-Costa V, Sun PY, Davies KJA. The role of oxidative stress in anxiety disorder: cause or consequence? Free Radic Res. 2018;52:737. https://doi.org/10.1080/10715762.2018.1475733.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Ferraresi C, Hamblin MR, Parizotto NA. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) on muscle tissue: performance, fatigue and repair benefited by the power of light. Photonics Lasers Med. 2012;1:267–86.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Hacke W, Schellinger PD, Albers GW, Bornstein NM, Dahlof BL, Fulton R, Kasner SE, Shuaib A, Richieri SP, Dilly SG, Zivin J, Lees KR, NEST 3 Committees and Investigators. Transcranial laser therapy in acute stroke treatment: results of neurothera effectiveness and safety trial 3, a phase III clinical end point device trial. Stroke. 2014;45:3187–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Hamblin MR. Shining light on the head: Photobiomodulation for brain disorders. BBA Clin. 2016;6:113–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbacli.2016.09.002.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Harkless LB, DeLellis S, Carnegie DH, Burke TJ. Improved foot sensitivity and pain reduction in patients with peripheral neuropathy after treatment with monochromatic infrared photo energy – MIRE. J Diabetes Complicat. 2006;20:81–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hersant B, SidAhmed-Mezi M, Bosc R, Meningaud JP. Current indications of low-level laser therapy in plastic surgery: a review. Photomed Laser Surg. 2015;33:283–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Hroudová J, Fišar Z, Kitzlerová E, Zvěřová M, Raboch J. Mitochondrial respiration in blood platelets of depressive patients. Mitochondrion. 2013;13:795–800.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Huang Y-Y, Gupta A, Vecchio D, de Arce VJB, Huang S-F, Xuan W, Hamblin MR. Transcranial low level laser (light) therapy for traumatic brain injury. J Biophotonics. 2012;5:827–37.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Huisa BN, Stemer AB, Walker MG, Rapp K, Meyer BC, Zivin JA, NEST-1 and -2 investigators. Transcranial laser therapy for acute ischemic stroke: a pooled analysis of NEST-1 and NEST-2. Int J Stroke. 2013;8:315–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Jagdeo JR, Adams LE, Brody NI, Siegel DM. Transcranial red and near infrared light transmission in a cadaveric model. PLoS One. 2012;7:e47460.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Khan A, Fahl Mar K, Faucett J, Khan Schilling S, Brown WA. Has the rising placebo response impacted antidepressant clinical trial outcome? Data from the US Food and Drug Administration 1987-2013. World Psychiatry. 2017;16:181–92.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Khan A, Khan S, Brown WA. Are placebo controls necessary to test new antidepressants and anxiolytics? Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2002;5:193–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Khan A, Warner HA, Brown WA. Symptom reduction and suicide risk in patients treated with placebo in antidepressant clinical trials: an analysis of the Food and Drug Administration database. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000;57:311–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Kovács IB, Mester E, Görög P. Stimulation of wound healing with laser beam in the rat. Experientia. 1974;30:1275–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Lampl Y, Zivin JA, Fisher M, Lew R, Welin L, Dahlof B, Borenstein P, Andersson B, Perez J, Caparo C, Ilic S, Oron U. Infrared laser therapy for ischemic stroke: a new treatment strategy: results of the NeuroThera effectiveness and safety trial-1 (NEST-1). Stroke. 2007;38:1843–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Lapchak PA, Araujo DM, Hefti F. Systemic interleukin-1 beta decreases brain-derived neurotrophic factor messenger RNA expression in the rat hippocampal formation. Neuroscience. 1993;53:297–301.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Lapchak PA, Wei J, Zivin JA. Transcranial infrared laser therapy improves clinical rating scores after embolic strokes in rabbits. Stroke. 2004;35:1985–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Maiello M, Losiewicz OM, Bui E, Spera V, Hamblin MR, Marques L, Cassano P. Transcranial Photobiomodulation with Near-Infrared Light for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study. Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery. 2019;37(10):644–50.

    Google Scholar 

  36. McGuff PE, Deterling RA, Gottlieb LS. Tumoricidal effect of laser energy on experimental and human malignant tumors. N Engl J Med. 1965;273:490–2.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Mester E, Szende B, Gärtner P. The effect of laser beams on the growth of hair in mice. Radiobiol Radiother (Berl). 1968;9:621–6.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Milev RV, Giacobbe P, Kennedy SH, Blumberger DM, Daskalakis ZJ, Downar J, Modirrousta M, Patry S, Vila-Rodriguez F, Lam RW, MacQueen GM, Parikh SV, Ravindran AV, Group, C.D.W. Canadian network for mood and anxiety treatments (CANMAT) 2016 clinical guidelines for the management of adults with major depressive disorder: section 4. Neurostimulation treatments. Can J Psychiatr. 2016;61:561–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Mochizuki-Oda N, Kataoka Y, Cui Y, Yamada H, Heya M, Awazu K. Effects of near-infra-red laser irradiation on adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate contents of rat brain tissue. Neurosci Lett. 2002;323:207–10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Naeser MA, Hamblin MR. Potential for transcranial laser or LED therapy to treat stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease. Photomed Laser Surg. 2011;29:443–6.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Naeser MA, Martin PI, Ho MD, Krengel MH, Bogdanova Y, Knight JA, Yee MK, Zafonte R, Frazier J, Hamblin MR, Koo B-B. Transcranial, red/near-infrared light-emitting diode therapy to improve cognition in chronic traumatic brain injury. Photomed Laser Surg. 2016;34:610–26.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Naeser MA, Zafonte R, Krengel MH, Martin PI, Frazier J, Hamblin MR, Knight JA, Meehan WP, Baker EH. Significant improvements in cognitive performance post-transcranial, red/near-infrared light-emitting diode treatments in chronic, mild traumatic brain injury: open-protocol study. J Neurotrauma. 2014;31:1008–17.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Nussbaumer M, Asara JM, Teplytska L, Murphy MP, Logan A, Turck CW, Filiou MD. Selective mitochondrial targeting exerts anxiolytic effects in vivo. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016;41:1751. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2015.341.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Oron A, Oron U, Chen J, Eilam A, Zhang C, Sadeh M, Lampl Y, Streeter J, DeTaboada L, Chopp M. Low-level laser therapy applied transcranially to rats after induction of stroke significantly reduces long-term neurological deficits. Stroke. 2006;37:2620–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Purushothuman S, Johnstone DM, Nandasena C, Mitrofanis J, Stone J. Photobiomodulation with near infrared light mitigates Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology in cerebral cortex – evidence from two transgenic mouse models. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2014;6:2.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Rochkind S, Barr-Nea L, Bartal A, Nissan M, Lubart R, Razon N. New methods of treatment of severely injured sciatic nerve and spinal cord. An experimental study. Acta Neurochir Suppl (Wien). 1988;43:91–3.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Rochkind S, Ouaknine GE. New trend in neuroscience: low-power laser effect on peripheral and central nervous system (basic science, preclinical and clinical studies). Neurol Res. 1992;14:2–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Rochkind S, Vogler I, Barr-Nea L. Spinal cord response to laser treatment of injured peripheral nerve. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1990;15:6–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Rojas JC, Bruchey AK, Gonzalez-Lima F. Low-level light therapy improves cortical metabolic capacity and memory retention. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;32:741–52.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Russell BA, Kellett N, Reilly LR. A study to determine the efficacy of combination LED light therapy (633 nm and 830 nm) in facial skin rejuvenation. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2005;7:196–200.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Salehpour F, Rasta SH. The potential of transcranial photobiomodulation therapy for treatment of major depressive disorder. Rev Neurosci. 2017;28:441–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Schiffer F, Johnston AL, Ravichandran C, Polcari A, Teicher MH, Webb RH, Hamblin MR. Psychological benefits 2 and 4 weeks after a single treatment with near infrared light to the forehead: a pilot study of 10 patients with major depression and anxiety. Behav Brain Funct. 2009;5:46.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  53. Shear MK, Vander Bilt J, Rucci P, Endicott J, Lydiard B, Otto MW, et al. Reliability and validity of a structured interview guide for the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (SIGH-A). Depress Anxiety. 2001;13:166–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Sommer AP, Trelles MA. Light pumping energy into blood mitochondria: a new trend against depression? Photomed Laser Surg. 2014;32:59–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Strobbe D, Campanella M. Anxiolytic therapy: a paradigm of successful mitochondrial pharmacology. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2018;39:437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2018.02.008.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Tsujimoto S. The prefrontal cortex: functional neural development during early childhood. Neuroscientist. 2008;14:345–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Wang Y, Huang Y-Y, Wang Y, Lyu P, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation (blue and green light) encourages osteoblastic-differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells: role of intracellular calcium and light-gated ion channels. Nat Publ Gr. 2016;6:33719.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Xuan W, Agrawal T, Huang L, Gupta GK, Hamblin MR. Low-level laser therapy for traumatic brain injury in mice increases brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and synaptogenesis. J Biophotonics. 2015;8:502–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Xuan W, Vatansever F, Huang L, Hamblin MR. Transcranial low-level laser therapy enhances learning, memory, and neuroprogenitor cells after traumatic brain injury in mice. J Biomed Opt. 2014;19:108003.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Xuan W, Vatansever F, Huang L, Wu Q, Xuan Y, Dai T, Ando T, Xu T, Huang Y-Y, Hamblin MR. Transcranial low-level laser therapy improves neurological performance in traumatic brain injury in mice: effect of treatment repetition regimen. PLoS One. 2013;8:e53454.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  61. Zarei M, Wikramanayake TC, Falto-Aizpurua L, Schachner LA, Jimenez JJ. Low level laser therapy and hair regrowth: an evidence-based review. Lasers Med Sci. 2016;31:363–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Zivin JA, Albers GW, Bornstein N, Chippendale T, Dahlof B, Devlin T, Fisher M, Hacke W, Holt W, Ilic S, Kasner S, Lew R, Nash M, Perez J, Rymer M, Schellinger P, Schneider D, Schwab S, Veltkamp R, Walker M, Streeter J, NeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trial-2 Investigators. Effectiveness and safety of transcranial laser therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2009;40:1359–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Marco Antonio Caldieraro

  2. Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Department of Psychiatry, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Marco Antonio Caldieraro

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Marco Maiello, Olivia Losiewicz & Paolo Cassano

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Marco Maiello

  5. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Maiello

  6. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Paolo Cassano

Authors
  1. Marco Antonio Caldieraro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marco Maiello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Olivia Losiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Paolo Cassano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paolo Cassano .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Eric Bui

  2. Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Meredith E. Charney

  3. Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Amanda W. Baker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Caldieraro, M.A., Maiello, M., Losiewicz, O., Cassano, P. (2020). Transcranial Photobiomodulation for Anxiety Disorders and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. In: Bui, E., Charney, M., Baker, A. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Anxiety Disorders. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30687-8_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30687-8_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-30686-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-30687-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation