Use of either transcranial or whole‐body photobiomodulation treatments improves COVID‐19 brain fog

Abstract

AbstractThere is increasing recognition of post‐COVID‐19 sequelae involving chronic fatigue and brain fog, for which photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has been utilized. This open‐label, pilot, human clinical study examined the efficacy of two PBM devices, for example, a helmet (1070 nm) for transcranial (tPBM) and a light bed (660 and 850 nm) for whole body (wbPBM), over a 4‐week period, with 12 treatments for two separate groups (n = 7 per group). Subjects were evaluated with a neuropsychological test battery, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), the trail‐making tests A and B, the physical reaction time (PRT), and a quantitative electroencephalography system (WAVi), both pre‐ and post‐ the treatment series. Each device for PBM delivery was associated with significant improvements in cognitive tests (p < 0.05 and beyond). Changes in WAVi supported the findings. This study outlines the benefits of utilizing PBM therapy (transcranial or whole‐body) to help treat long‐COVID brain fog.