Transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM) offers significant potential for cognitive enhancement and therapy. A critical gap remains in our understanding of the differential impacts of pulsed versus continuous tPBM on human electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns. Treatment planners do not have objective metrics to ascertain optimal dosage parameters which hampers the development of effective closed-loop neuromodulation systems. This study focuses on key EEG markers: interhemispheric coherence and frequency entrainment. Concurrent tPBM and EEG recordings were conducted on healthy participants in single sessions with continuous, pulsed and modular protocols. Putative indicators of effective tPBM protocols in healthy participants are hypothesized to be significant post-intervention increases in relative alpha frequency power and coherence normalization. The study quantifies changes from baseline to demonstrate tPBM dosimetry effects. We anticipate that our study will elucidate the distinct effects of pulsed versus continuous tPBM protocols, with an expected interhemispheric coherence normalization and frequency entrainment.
Evidence from animal and human studies regarding the biological impact of near infrared light stimulation has significantly increased of late noting the disease modifying properties of photobiomodulation for improving physical and cognitive performance in subjects with a variety of neurodegenerative conditions. Concurrently we see a growing body of literature regarding the efficacy of operant conditioning of EEG amplitude and connectivity in remediating both cognitive and behavioral symptoms of both neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders including traumatic brain injury, ADHD, PTSD, and dementia. This presentation seeks to outline a treatment model combining these two treatment methods to stop the progression of neurodegeneration using pulsed (10hz), brief (5-20minutes) repeated (1-2x/daily) transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation with 810nm and 1068nm near infrared phototherapy and operant conditioning of EEG amplitude and coherence. Our initial study on treating dementia with EEG biofeedback (N=37) showed neuroplasticity's potential for modifying cognitive and behavioral symptoms using the evidence from decades of neurological research that never felt the warm touch of a translational researcher's hand. The near infrared interventional studies clarified the order of treatment, i.e., tissue health and renewal were achieved, followed by neural connectivity enhancement. Significant improvements in both immediate and delayed recall and praxis memory as well as executive functioning and behavioral regulation were obtained with each intervention. The inferred synergistic impact of properly combining these approaches is what informs our current clinical applications and future research efforts examining the value of combined treatments for all dementias, parkinson’s disease and age-related dry macular degeneration.
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