Near infrared light therapy for treating Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease. It is generally believed that there are some connections between AD and amyloid protein plaques in the brain. The typical symptoms of AD are memory and spatial learning difficulties, language disorders, loss of motivation and behavioral issues. Currently, the main therapeutic method is pharmacotherapy, which temporarily relieves symptoms, and yet brings with some side effects. Near infrared (NIR) light therapy has been studied in a range of single and multiple irradiation protocols in previous studies and was found beneficial for neuropathology. In our research, we demonstrated the effect of NIR light on AD through transgenic mouse model. We designed an experimental apparatus consisted of a box with a LED array emitting NIR light inside. After the treatment, we assessed the effects of infrared light by testing cognitive performance of mice in Morris water maze, and detecting plaque load by immunofluorescence analysis. Our results show that NIR therapy is able to attenuate the A beta burden and cognitive deficits in the mouse model. It might provide a novel and safe way to treat AD.