IMR Press / JIN / Volume 23 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.31083/j.jin2305092
Open Access Opinion
Photobiomodulation Therapy: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Alzheimer's Disease Made Possible by the Evidence of a Brain–Gut Interconnection
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1 REGEnLIFE, 75008 Paris, France
2 FRconsulting, 34800 Clermont l’Hérault, France
3 Vaiomer, 31670 Labège, France
4 Faculty of Medicine, University of Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
*Correspondence: blivet_guillaume@yahoo.fr (Guillaume Blivet)
J. Integr. Neurosci. 2024, 23(5), 92; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.jin2305092
Submitted: 20 December 2023 | Revised: 6 February 2024 | Accepted: 21 February 2024 | Published: 30 April 2024
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

The evidence of brain–gut interconnections in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) opens novel avenues for the treatment of a pathology for which no definitive treatment exists. Gut microbiota and bacterial translocation may produce peripheral inflammation and immune modulation, contributing to brain amyloidosis, neurodegeneration, and cognitive deficits in AD. The gut microbiota can be used as a potential therapeutic target in AD. In particular, photobiomodulation (PBM) can affect the interaction between the microbiota and the immune system, providing a potential explanation for its restorative properties in AD-associated dysbiosis. PBM is a safe, non-invasive, non-ionizing, and non-thermal therapy that uses red or near-infrared light to stimulate the cytochrome c oxidase (CCO, complex IV), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, resulting in adenosine triphosphate synthesis. The association of the direct application of PBM to the head with an abscopal and a systemic treatment through simultaneous application to the abdomen provides an innovative therapeutic approach to AD by targeting various components of this highly complex pathology. As a hypothesis, PBM might have a significant role in the therapeutic options available for the treatment of AD.

Keywords
Alzheimer's disease
neurodegeneration
neuroinflammation
brain–gut axis
microbiota
microbiome
photobiomodulation
low-level laser therapy (LLLT)
oxidative stress
mitochondria
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