Red Light Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Brain Injuries

Why It Matters

If validated, PBM offers a non‑invasive, proactive tool to reduce cumulative brain injury risk in contact sports, potentially reshaping concussion management and athlete health protocols.

Key Takeaways

• RHAEs cause subclinical brain changes in football players
• PBM uses near‑infrared light to boost mitochondrial function
• Study: 26 NCAA athletes, 16‑week, active vs sham
• Active PBM stabilized diffusion MRI biomarkers versus sham
• Findings suggest red‑light may protect against impact‑induced damage

Pulse Analysis

Repetitive head acceleration events (RHAEs) have emerged as a silent epidemic in contact sports, generating micro‑structural brain alterations even when athletes do not sustain a diagnosed concussion. Advanced imaging studies reveal that these subclinical impacts can erode white‑matter integrity, elevate neuroinflammatory markers, and subtly impair cognitive function over a season. Traditional management relies on post‑injury rest and symptom monitoring, leaving a therapeutic gap for preventing the cumulative cellular damage that underlies long‑term neurological risk. As leagues confront mounting liability and player‑health concerns, the search for proactive, non‑invasive interventions has intensified.

Photobiomodulation, commonly known as red‑light therapy, delivers near‑infrared photons to mitochondria, prompting cytochrome c oxidase to increase ATP production and improve cerebral blood flow. This metabolic boost enhances neuronal resilience, allowing cells to better tolerate oxidative stress and mechanical strain. Prior animal models and small human trials have demonstrated reduced inflammation and accelerated recovery after traumatic brain injury when PBM is applied within hours of impact. The modality’s non‑pharmacologic nature, ease of self‑administration, and minimal side‑effect profile make it an attractive candidate for routine use among athletes.

In a recent University of Utah Health trial, 26 Division I football players were randomized to active or sham transcranial and intranasal PBM for 16 weeks, receiving three weekly sessions. Diffusion MRI at season’s end showed the sham group with increased restricted diffusion and quantitative anisotropy—signatures of neuroinflammation—while the active group maintained stable biomarker levels, suggesting protective effects. Although the sample size was modest and lacked a non‑contact control, the findings align with a growing body of evidence that red‑light therapy can mitigate impact‑related neural stress. Larger, multi‑sport studies could solidify PBM’s role in concussion‑prevention protocols and reshape athlete health management.

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.