Check out the blog post about sleep and biophotons.
Moro C, Valverde A, Dole M, Hoh Kam Jaimie, Hamilton Catherine, Liebert Ann, Bicknell, B, Benabid Alim-Louis, Magistretti Pierre and Mitrofanis John,
The effect of photobiomodulation on the brain during wakefulness and sleep.
Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2022;16. doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.942536
Further reading
You can read almost 1,300 academic research papers and studies that have been published in recent years on the benefits of photobiomodulation.
40Hz pulsing helps Alzheimer’s Disease
This is a fascinating article which talks about the importance of a particular kind of brainwave called gamma waves, which range from around 30 to 100Hz.
Near infrared light brain simulates dopamine-producing cells
This is an oldie but a goodie. Researchers were able to use cells taken from people with and without Parkinson’s disease (PD) and then compare the way that these cells function. They knew that the dopamine-producing cells that are first affected by Parkinson’s have very long axons – imagine cables that connect one cell with a bunch of other cells in a distant part of the brain.
Near infrared light brain implant for Parkinson's Disease
This study was one in an impressive research series by the Mitrofanis/Benabid teams showing that shining 670nm light directly onto the damaged dopamine-producing cells resulted in a complete cure with restoration of the function of those cells.
The Helmet Study – Red light and Parkinson’s Disease in animal models
This is called the 'helmet' study, and is a beautifully constructed investigation into the indirect effect of near infrared light. Mice with induced Parkinson's Disease had near infrared light shone either on their body only or their head only.
Trans-cranial red and near infrared lights in people with Parkinson’s Disease
Another from our own Dr. Catherine Hamilton et al. This article summarises the early findings of people with Parkinson’s disease using light hats and focuses on what is likely to be happening in the brain. It is a bit technical, but it is one of the very first journal articles considering the significant implications the results from these case studies.
Case studies of people with Parkinson’s disease using DIY bucket light hat devices
Research completed by Well Red’s own & Red Lights on the Brain blog’s author Dr. Catherine Hamilton. This article summarises six people’s experience with the daily use of a red and near infrared light hat. All had been diagnosed with PD. All showed improvements using daily red and near infrared lights.
Why and how does light therapy work in Parkinson’s disease?
This is a great article with much detail explained with great clarity. Even better, it is only two pages.It poses two critical questions:
Can red/near infrared light protect brain cells from dying?
If yes, then how does the light do that?