Utah Researchers Study Red-Light Therapy for Brain Inflammation and Injury

The report centers in part on Larry Carr, a former BYU football star and University of Utah adjunct professor, who says the treatment helped him after years of brain damage from repeated head impacts. A knife, a call and a diagnosis in 2013 led him on what The Athletic describes as a life-changing mission. He and a team of University of Utah researchers eventually compiled research that Elisabeth Wilde, co-director of the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center, calls “striking.”

The treatment is called photobiomodulation therapy, or itPBM (intranasal transcranial PBM), also known as red-light therapy. It differs from the superficial red-light use found on social media skincare channels or at wellness boutiques, and its application is broader. The research includes multiple studies and is not focused only on ex-football players but also on women and men in various walks of life.

The group recently published its latest results in the Journal of Neurotrauma, based on a study that followed 26 BYU football players throughout a season. According to The Athletic, the study suggested the treatment could “potentially safeguard neurological health without reduced playing time or contact exposure.” Definitive clinical trials have not been run, broader research and validation are required, and some in the field are skeptical. Carr acknowledges that some have told him it could be “too good to be true.” Other outside experts who spoke with The Athletic call the findings promising, while cautioning that this is not a cure-all and that much more remains to be tested. The findings have been compelling enough to justify more research and more speculation, the report says.

Researchers say 14 peer-reviewed studies have linked itPBM with improvements in cognition, mood, anxiety, attention, executive function, motor performance and other measures, while brain imaging has shown reduced inflammation and improved connectivity.

One of the most striking findings mentioned in the report came from the study of 26 BYU football players during the 2021 season. Players who did not receive treatment developed significant, widespread brain inflammation, while the treated group showed no comparable increase and even demonstrated reduced inflammation in some brain regions. As researcher Michael Carr put it, “I believe our BYU data suggests the players’ brains using itPBM are actually healthier after the season.” He added, “That is a first.”

Carr also said treated participants showed fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD, along with faster processing, better sustained attention and stronger executive function. Researchers have also observed improvements in balance, motor control and grip strength. Taken together, the findings suggest itPBM may have a neuroprotective effect.