TY - JOUR
T1 - Red/near-infrared irradiation therapy for treatment of central nervous system injuries and disorders
AU - Fitzgerald, Melinda
AU - Hodgetts, Stuart
AU - Van Den Heuvel, Corinna
AU - Natoli, Riccardo
AU - Hart, Nathan S.
AU - Valter, Krisztina
AU - Harvey, Alan R.
AU - Vink, Robert
AU - Provis, Jan
AU - Dunlop, Sarah A.
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877937730&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 23492552
AN - SCOPUS:84877937730
SN - 0334-1763
VL - 24
SP - 205
EP - 226
JO - Reviews in the Neurosciences
JF - Reviews in the Neurosciences
IS - 2
ER -