Photobiomodulation: An Emerging Treatment Modality for Depression

Willians Fernando Vieira; Dan V Iosifescu; Kayla Marie McEachern; Maia Gersten; Paolo Cassano

doi:10.1016/j.psc.2023.02.013

Photobiomodulation: An Emerging Treatment Modality for Depression

Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2023 Jun;46(2):331-348. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2023.02.013. Epub 2023 Mar 25.

Authors

Willians Fernando Vieira¹, Dan V Iosifescu², Kayla Marie McEachern³, Maia Gersten³, Paolo Cassano⁴

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), 149 13th Street (2612), Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (HMS), 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), University of Sao Paulo (USP), 2415 Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil.
² Clinical Research Division, Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
³ Division of Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), 149 13th Street (2612), Boston, MA 02129, USA.
⁴ Division of Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), 149 13th Street (2612), Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (HMS), 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: pcassano@mgh.harvard.edu.

PMID: 37149348
DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2023.02.013

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is considered a global crisis. Conventional treatments for MDD consist of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, although a significant number of patients with depression respond poorly to conventional treatments and are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Transcranial photobiomodulation (t-PBM) therapy uses near-infrared light, delivered transcranially, to modulate the brain cortex. The aim of this review was to revisit the antidepressant effects of t-PBM, with a special emphasis on individuals with TRD. A search on PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov tracked clinical studies using t-PBM for the treatment of patients diagnosed with MDD and TRD.

Keywords: LLLT; Major depressive disorder; NIR; Photobiomodulation; Transcranial photobiomodulation; Treatment-resistant depression.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use
Brain
Depression / therapy
Depressive Disorder, Major* / diagnosis
Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant* / therapy
Humans
Psychotherapy

Substances

Antidepressive Agents