Person wearing Neuronic LIGHT helmet with hand raised to side of head

Research on Light Therapy and Brain Injury

Brain injuries can come from various causes and their symptoms can result in impaired function of day to day activities. Luckily, research in the field of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) shows promising results for brain injuries.

Woman with eyes closed, hands on head, appearing to experience discomfort or tension

Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury

Brain injuries can occur from a myriad of causes, including automobile accidents, falls, sports collisions, and combat related blasts, to name a few. Their symptoms and severity vary from person to person, but some common symptoms include:

Headache
Nausea or vomiting
Sensitivities to light or sound
Loss of consciousness
Problems with memory or concentration
Mood changes or mood swings
Irregular sleep

*Read a full list of symptoms on the Mayo Clinic website

mTBI/Concussion
Loss of consciousness less than 30 mins
Unremarkable on neuroimaging
Alteration of mental state for 0-24 hours
Post-traumatic amnesia for 0-1 day
Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15
TBI
Loss of consciousness more than 30 mins
Moderate to significant findings on neuroimaging
Alteration of mental state for longer than 24 hours
Post-traumatic amnesia for 1-7 days
Glasgow Coma Scale score 3-12

Primary Brain Injury
The initial trauma can directly damage brain tissue and structures, leading to:
Skull fractures
Cerebral contusions (bruising of the brain)
Hematomas (bleeding in or around the brain)
Diffuse axonal injury (shearing of nerve fibers)
(Ginsburg & Smith, 2025)
Secondary Brain Injury
Following the primary injury, a cascade of cellular and biochemical responses can worsen brain function. These include:
Mitochondrial dysfunctionGlutamate excitotoxicity (overstimulation of neurons)
Oxidative stressNeuronal cell death
Chronic neuroinflammationImpaired autophagy (disrupted cellular cleanup)
(Ginsburg & Smith, 2025)

Clinical Improvements in Humans with mTBI
mTBI participants in a study by Naeser et al. (2014) showed significant improvements in sleep, PTSD symptoms, social and occupational functioning, and neuropsychological scores after just six weeks of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM). Notably, these benefits were seen in individuals who were between 10 months and 8 years post-injury, highlighting that it's never too late to benefit from PBM therapy. Additional studies have also shown that PBM enhances visual working memory, verbal memory, subjective sleep quality, pain intensity, and various post-concussion symptoms, including PTSD (Lee et al., 2025).
See the study
Positive Outcomes in Animal Models
In preclinical studies, PBM has shown promising results in animal models of traumatic brain injury. For example, in a weight-induced TBI mouse model, PBM treatment significantly improved neurological severity scores and reduced lesion volume compared to untreated controls (Oron et al., 2012). These findings support the growing evidence that PBM may accelerate neurological recovery even in physically induced injury contexts.
See the study
Cellular Mechanisms Supporting Recovery
After a brain injury, mitochondrial dysfunction is common—often manifesting as swelling and loss of membrane potential (Lim, 2024). PBM targets cytochrome c oxidase within the mitochondria, helping to restore cellular function by enhancing the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Furthermore, PBM mitigates secondary damage from brain injury by reducing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. This is achieved through increased antioxidant activity, modulation of pro-inflammatory pathways, and stimulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine release (Lim, 2024).
See the study

FAQs

Who should not use PBM?

Generally, light therapy is non-significant risk and therefore harmless to majority of the population however, We DO NOT recommend this device if you have: Metal plates, implanted stimulation devices or other metal objects in the brain, cancer/malignant tissue/active carcinoma, brain tumors, medications causing light sensitivity, open wounds on the head, pregnancy, a recent hemorrhagic stroke or other disorder, or certain hyperthyroid conditions.

What types of results do people with TBI experience from using PBM?

While every individual responds differently, improvements mentioned in our Trustpilot reviews include: improvements in focus, balance, memory, speech, and brain fog.

Is PBM safe?

Yes. PBM is FDA-cleared for various applications and has a strong safety profile. It’s non-invasive, painless, and has no known serious side effects when used as directed.

References

Ginsburg, J., Smith, T. (2024). Traumatic brain injury. In StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved July 18, 2025, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557861/

Lee, T.-L., Chan, D. Y.-C., Chan, D. T.-M., Cheung, M.-C., Shum, D. H.-K., & Chan, A. S.-Y. (2025, June 9). Transcranial photobiomodulation improves cognitive function, post‑concussion, and PTSD symptoms in mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2025.0048

Lim, L. (2024). Traumatic brain injury recovery with photobiomodulation: Cellular mechanisms, clinical evidence, and future potential. Cells, 13(5), 385. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13050385

Naeser, M. A., Zafonte, R., Krengel, M. H., Martin, P. I., Frazier, J., Hamblin, M. R., Knight, J. A., Meehan, W. P., & Baker, E. H. (2014, June 1). Significant improvements in cognitive performance post-transcranial, red/near-infrared light-emitting diode treatments in chronic, mild traumatic brain injury: Open-protocol study. Journal of neurotrauma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4043367/

Oron, A., Shohami, E., Trembovler, V., Alexandrovich, A., De Taboada, L., Streeter, J., & Oron, U. (2012, January 20). Near infrared transcranial laser therapy applied at various modes to mice following traumatic brain injury significantly reduces long-term neurological deficits. Journal of neurotrauma. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22040267/

Research on Light Therapy and Brain Injury

Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury

mTBI vs. TBI

mTBI/Concussion

TBI

What Causes Symptoms Associated with Brain Injuries?

Primary Brain Injury

Secondary Brain Injury

Research on Using PBM for TBI Is Growing

Clinical Improvements in Humans with mTBI

Positive Outcomes in Animal Models

Cellular Mechanisms Supporting Recovery

FAQs

References

Where are we shipping to?

6 Reasons for Brain Fog You May Not Know About

mTBI vs. TBI

mTBI/Concussion

TBI

What Causes Symptoms Associated with Brain Injuries?

Primary Brain Injury

Secondary Brain Injury

Research on Using PBM for TBI Is Growing

Clinical Improvements in Humans with mTBI

Positive Outcomes in Animal Models

Cellular Mechanisms Supporting Recovery

Research on Light Therapy and Brain Injury

Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury

mTBI/Concussion

TBI

Primary Brain Injury

Secondary Brain Injury

Clinical Improvements in Humans with mTBI

Positive Outcomes in Animal Models

Cellular Mechanisms Supporting Recovery

FAQs

Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Causes, Symptoms, and How Light Can Help Restore Energy

The Most Overlooked Tool in Brain Injury Recovery and Biohacking

How Brain Vital Signs and Photobiomodulation Are Shaping the Future of Brain Health

References

6 Reasons for Brain Fog You May Not Know About

mTBI/Concussion

TBI

Primary Brain Injury

Secondary Brain Injury

Clinical Improvements in Humans with mTBI

Positive Outcomes in Animal Models

Cellular Mechanisms Supporting Recovery

Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Causes, Symptoms, and How Light Can Help Restore Energy

The Most Overlooked Tool in Brain Injury Recovery and Biohacking

How Brain Vital Signs and Photobiomodulation Are Shaping the Future of Brain Health