Near-Infrared Transcranial Radiation for Major Depressive Disorder: Proof of Concept Study

The study explored whether near-infrared transcranial radiation (NIR) (light therapy directed to the forehead/brain area) could help treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), especially in patients who had not improved enough with standard treatments.

How it worked:

• Patients with depression received transcranial near-infrared light treatment.
• Researchers measured changes in depression symptoms over time.

Key findings:

• Some participants showed improvement in depressive symptoms after treatment.
• The therapy appeared to be generally well tolerated, with limited major side effects reported.
• Researchers suggested NIR may have antidepressant potential by improving brain energy metabolism, blood flow, and cellular function.

Limitations:

• It was a proof-of-concept / early-stage study.
• Small sample size.
• More large randomized controlled trials were needed before confirming effectiveness.

Bottom line:
This study suggested that near-infrared light therapy to the brain may help reduce depression symptoms, but it was preliminary evidence—not enough to treat it as a proven standard therapy yet
(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4556873)