The lives of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who require assisted living can be improved with the help of self-administered light therapy. This study was carried out by Dr. Margaret Naeser from Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.


With daily use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the scalp and forehead, improvement was noticed in the cognitive functioning and it also showed reduction in the post-traumatic stress disorder among patients with brain injury. The phototherapy technique delivers red and near-infrared light energy to improve cellular metabolism which offers physiological benefits.

Scientists studied two individuals with TBI. After light therapy, patients showed improved focus, attention, memory and inhibition. One of the participants even returned back to work. This research is significant, taking into consideration the increasing number of non-fatal traumatic wounds and the rise in the prevalence of dementia and other degenerative disorders among the older population.

This research has been published in the journal Photomedicine and Laser Surgery.