RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR ALZHEIMER’S

Mechanisms of Action: How does Red Light Therapy For Alzheimer’s Work

So what does all this mean in regards to our fight against dementia? Can red light be used to heal the brain? To target the brain, treatment requires near-infrared light, usually on the order of 800 nm of 1000 – 1200 nm. Light in this range is able to penetrate soft layers of skin but also bone matter to reach and affect neurons in the brain. Technically, this is referred to as photobiomodulation using transcranial near-infrared light. Say that 3 times fast..

There are devices, helmets, etc., available for home use that claim to fit the bill for transcranial light therapy, but for something this important we suggest you first consult your medical practitioner or a qualified neurologist.

To understand how red light therapy might prove effective against the symptoms and even the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s it is important to understand some of the brain’s cellular and molecular processes.  We can look at 6 essential biological processes that are negatively influenced by dementia, processes this therapy might help to normalize.

1.Enhancing Mitochondrial Function

Mitochondria  generate most of the chemical energy needed by our bodies’ cells to power biochemical reactions. Mitochondrial dysfunction is common in  Alzheimer’s disease. Neurons, the nerve cells that make up the brain and nervous system, have high energy demands. These cells get their energy from Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which in turn rely on mitochondria for its production. Alzheimer’s disease often impairs mitochondrial function, leading to decreased ATP production, increased oxidative stress, and neuronal damage.

Without going into too much detail, red light therapy boosts ATP production, thereby improving energy availability. RLT helps support the metabolic needs of neurons, potentially slowing the neurodegenerative processes associated with dementia.

2. Reducing Oxidative Stress

According to the Cleveland Clinic: “Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body that leads to cell damage. It plays a role in many conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. Toxins like pollution and cigarette smoke can cause oxidative stress, while foods rich in antioxidants can help reduce it.” Examples of foods rich in antioxidants include blueberries, dark chocolate, artichokes, whole grains, pecans and other nuts, strawberries, and red cabbage.

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Certain oxygen containing molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage cellular components, including DNA, proteins, and lipids, leading to neuronal dysfunction and cell death.

Image by vat loai from Pixabay

Image by vat loai from Pixabay

Red light therapy has been shown to reduce oxidative stress by modulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes and decreasing ROS production. This reduction in oxidative stress helps  protect neurons from damage, thereby slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. By maintaining the balance between ROS production and antioxidant defenses, RLT may help preserve cognitive function in dementia patients.

3. Modulating Neuroinflammation

WebMD defines inflation as “a process by which your body’s white blood cells and the things they make protect you from injury or infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.” In the short term, inflation is a good thing, it is an immune response to fight off infection or heal damaged tissue. 

Once the injury or infection is healed, the inflammatory process normally ends. Sometimes, however, the body’s immune system continues its attack against these invaders even after the invaders have been vanquished. Chronic inflammation results. With no foreign invaders to fight, the immune system attacks healthy cells in the body resulting in one or another autoimmune disease. 

The most common autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and vasculitis.

Neuroinflammation is an inflammatory response within the brain or spinal cord and is another key factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. In fact, it has been suggested that Alzheimer’s is an autoimmune disease.  Inflammatory processes in the brain contribute to neuronal damage and exacerbate cognitive decline. Chronic inflammation in the brain is associated with the accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, the hallmark plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the accepted benefits of red light therapy is its anti-inflammatory effect, and it could potentially reduce neuroinflammation in people with dementia. It may even reduce the plaques and tangles in the Alzheimer’s brain which may, in turn,  slow the progression of the disease.

4. Improving Cerebral Blood Flow

Cerebral blood flow is often reduced in cases of dementia, particularly Frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Adequate blood flow to the brain is essential, not only to deliver oxygen and nutrients to neurons, but also for removing metabolic waste products, including the hallmark plaques and tangles.

Red light therapy can improve circulation by enhancing the production of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels which allows for greater blood flow. This improved blood flow could likely help mitigate some of the cognitive symptoms associated with dementia.

5. Promoting Neurogenesis and Synaptic Plasticity

Neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons, and synaptic plasticity, the ability of synapses (the junctions between nerve cells) to strengthen or weaken over time, are important for maintaining cognitive function. Synaptic connections are largely responsible for determining how the brain functions. 

Dementia can be thought of as an opposite process. Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia impair these processes and destroy brain cells.

The possibility of stimulating neurogenesis and brain plasticity to repair or regenerate brain tissue in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke is an exciting area of research. Several treatments and courses of therapy are being investigated including both physical and mental exercise, diet—and red light therapy.  

Recent research suggests that RLT may promote neurogenesis and enhance synaptic plasticity. These effects could potentially help restore cognitive function and slow the progression of dementia.Hennesey in the Journal of Optics offers a review of some of the recent research findings related to the effects of red light therapy on neurogenesis and other of the brain’s processes discussed here. Many are animal studies because this mode of treatment is in a relative infancy, but the potential is intriguing.

6. Reducing Amyloid-Beta Plaque

Recent evidence suggests that near-infrared light ((800–1000 nm)) might help reduce amyloid-beta plaque accumulation. The exact mechanism at work here is not fully understood, but it is thought that the improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress induced by RLT can enhance the brain’s natural clearance mechanisms, such as autophagy, thereby reducing the effects that amyloid plaques have on the brain, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease..

Coincidentally, another novel form of light therapy is being investigated in both animal and human trials for its effect on reducing amyloid-beta plaques and the tau tangles in the Alzheimer’s brain. Flashing light therapy exposes the subject to a light pulsing at a rate of 40 times per second, 40 hz. The flashing light induces gamma waves in the brain, which in turn stimulate microglia to clean the brain of accumulated garbage including plaques and tangles, and improve cognitive functioning.