Objective: This assessor- and participant-blinded placebo-controlled pilot study aimed to evaluate the influence on motor outcomes associated with Parkinson’s Disease with different dose application regimens of PBMt.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder with movement (motor) decline and non-motor symptoms such as cognitive effects and sleep disturbance. PD is not curable and the cause is not clear. One hypothesis is that PD develops because of mitochondrial dysfunction.  Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMt) stimulates mitochondrial action by absorption of photons in specific transmembrane proteins (cytochrome c oxidase), resulting in a range of physiological effects that may be beneficial to cerebral function.

Method: Twenty (20) participants with PD diagnosed by a movement disorders specialist Neurologist volunteered to participate.  Participants were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups.  All treatment groups visited the clinic 3/week for 4 weeks, had a 4 week wash-out and then repeated the same schedule.  In the first phase, one group received 3 treatments/week and the other received 3 placebo treatments/week.  In the second phase, the treatment dose was either a) 1 treatment and 2 sham/week or b) 2 treatments and 1 sham/week.  The PBMt protocol used an Irradia 60W, 904 nm laser (pulse mode: 4 x 60mW; total output power: 4 x 240mW) to 6 areas on the cranium (frontal, temporal left and right, crown, occiput and soft palate.  Placebo applications were made to the same locations using a placebo device of identical appearance.  A wide range of non motor and upper limb and lower limb motor outcomes were assessed pre and post intervention.  This paper describes the results for objective physical outcome measures for PD.

Results: Upper limb tests of 9 Hole Peg test and timed Spiral tests demonstrated significant (p<0.05) improvement with PBMt.  Dynamic balance tests improved for the treatment group that had 3/wkly PBMt followed by 1/wkly PBMt.

Conclusion: PBMt influenced some aspects of upper and lower limb motor function, particularly when administered at a more frequent rate of application initially followed by a reduction in dosing.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-dose-rate-of-photobiomodulation-light-therapy-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-double-blind-placebo-controlled-pilot-trial-is-there-a-dose-frequency-per-week-that-influen/