Red Light Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Brain Injuries

By Bio-IT World News Staff 

February 17, 2026 | Repetitive head acceleration events (RHAEs) are repeated impacts that rapidly move the head and can cause concussions and brain damage. They are now recognized as far more common than previously assumed. In collegiate and professional football, players may experience hundreds of these events for every single concussion. While often subclinical, mounting evidence links RHAEs to altered brain activation, reduced white matter integrity, and increased neuroinflammatory biomarkers. Yet current interventions remain reactive, focused on rest and symptom management after injury, rather than preventing microscopic damage that accumulates over time. A new study from the University of Utah Health has found an unconventional approach: photobiomodulation (PBM), or red light therapy. 

PBM uses near-infrared light delivered via LEDs or lasers to stimulate mitochondrial activity, increasing cellular energy production, and improving cerebral blood flow. The biological premise is straightforward. By enhancing metabolic resilience and oxygen delivery, vulnerable neural tissue may better withstand repeated mechanical stress. 

To test this, researchers enrolled 26 NCAA Division I football players in a 16-week randomized study divided between an active or sham group. Athletes self-administered transcranial and intranasal PBM using identical-looking devices, three times per week. Only half of the devices emitted near-infrared light, allowing investigators to isolate the biological effects of the therapy. 

Advanced diffusion MRI techniques revealed a clear divergence between groups by season’s end. Players using sham devices showed widespread increases in restricted diffusion imaging and quantitative anisotropy, markers associated with neuroinflammation and axonal stress. In contrast, athletes receiving active PBM largely maintained stable levels of these biomarkers, suggesting that red light therapy mitigated brain changes typically linked to repeated head impacts. Although limited by its small sample size and lack of a non-contact control group, the study aligns with research suggesting that RHAEs can aid in brain damage recovery.  

To read the full story written by Irene Yeh, visit Integrative Practitioner.