Transcranial Photobiomodulation in the Treatment of Major Depression

Abstract

The use of phototherapy has become popular and associated with this panorama, we observe the growth of new techniques and uses. Among the most avant-garde we can find transcranial therapies and their use in fields such as psychiatry and neurology, treating in a therapeutic way pathologies such as depression, Alzheimer's, phobias and neurodegenerative diseases. The following article aimed to evaluate all studies related to the topic Transcranial Photobiomodulation in the Treatment of Major Depression, indexed in the base date PubMed. The studies were selected using the descriptors; depression; transcranial; photobiomodulation; infrared light and laser therapy, being limited to articles that used some type of control group within the publication period of 10 years. At the end of the review, the scarce number of articles on the topic was observed, although the results seem promising in the great majority. The following review may also raise data for future discussions on methodological issues involved, such as the lack of studies with large groups as well as the difficulty of performing double-blind studies of enormous scientific importance.