Red/near-infrared irradiation therapy for treatment of central nervous system injuries and disorders. 


Author: Fitzgerald M, Hodgetts S, Van Den Heuvel C, Natoli R, Hart NS, Valter K, Harvey AR, Vink R, Provis J, Dunlop SA.

Affiliation: School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia. lindy.fitzgerald@uwa.edu.au 
Conference/Journal: Rev Neurosci.
Date published: 2013
Other:
 Volume ID: 24   ,  Issue ID: 2   ,  Pages: 205-26   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2012-0086.   ,  Word Count: 211  
    

Irradiation in the red/near-infrared spectrum (R/NIR, 630-1000 nm) has been used to treat a wide range of clinical conditions, including disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), with several clinical trials currently underway for stroke and macular degeneration. However, R/NIR irradiation therapy (R/NIR-IT) has not been widely adopted in clinical practice for CNS injury or disease for a number of reasons, which include the following. The mechanism/s of action and implications of penetration have not been thoroughly addressed. The large range of treatment intensities, wavelengths and devices that have been assessed make comparisons difficult, and a consensus paradigm for treatment has not yet emerged. Furthermore, the lack of consistent positive outcomes in randomised controlled trials, perhaps due to sub-optimal treatment regimens, has contributed to scepticism. This review provides a balanced précis of outcomes described in the literature regarding treatment modalities and efficacy of R/NIR-IT for injury and disease in the CNS. We have addressed the important issues of specification of treatment parameters, penetration of R/NIR irradiation to CNS tissues and mechanism/s, and provided the necessary detail to demonstrate the potential of R/NIR-IT for the treatment of retinal degeneration, damage to white matter tracts of the CNS, stroke and Parkinson's disease.

PMID: 23492552