{"findings":[{"id":"pbm-20261003-39","title":"Clinic explainer, not a study: pediatric practice warns that home red light is not proven for autism or ADHD","summary":"Indexed page (Healing Arts Pediatrics blog, by Tiffany Wildung, Millcreek, Utah; page opened 2026-10-03): the clinic explains photobiomodulation as red and near-infrared light from handheld tools, masks, or panels, and separates skin research from online claims. The page states there is not strong evidence that red light boosts immunity, sleep, brain function, autism, ADHD, or ‘detox,’ especially in children. It lists eye protection, mild irritation, rare burns or pigment change, and tells families to talk with a pediatrician before a home device. This is a claims-versus-evidence note, not new data and not a family story.","condition":"other","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"adhd\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"red light\",\"home_therapy\",\"safety\",\"claims_vs_evidence\",\"pediatric\",\"overclaim_risk\"]","source_type":"blog","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"medium","source_url":"https://www.healingartspediatrics.com/blog/red-light-therapy-for-kids-what-parents-should-know","source_title":"Red Light Therapy for Kids: What Parents Should Know","published_at":null,"collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Page opened 2026-10-03. Byline Tiffany Wildung; date line on page is May 9 without a year in the extracted text, so published_at is an uncertain placeholder and should not be cited as an exact publication day. Credibility medium: clinician education, not a trial. Not medical advice from NEURA.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"US","image_url":"http://static1.squarespace.com/static/60b43dd988562054298e7f04/62f5df15acac291d13ef4b51/69fff05bd192361fd168c0ab/1778382059345/pablo-merchan-montes-ymibOjcjgis-unsplash.jpg?format=1500w","image_kind":"photo"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-38","title":"Hypothesis review only: transcranial photobiomodulation for developmental stuttering — no patient trial in the paper","summary":"Indexed source (J Clin Med. 2026; DOI 10.3390/jcm15052041; PMID 41827457): Ferreras, Goyeneche, and Cassano map developmental stuttering (about 5% of children) onto mechanisms that transcranial photobiomodulation is thought to touch (blood flow, mitochondria, connectivity). They do not report a stuttering trial. Mechanism matching is not evidence that red light helps speech. Stored so families can see the difference between a hypothesis and a result.","condition":"other","topic_tags":"[\"stuttering\",\"neurodevelopment\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"hypothesis\",\"review\",\"pediatric\",\"red light\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"medium","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15052041","source_title":"Exploring Photobiomodulation as a Potential Novel Intervention for Developmental Stuttering: A Review and Hypothesis","published_at":"2026-03-07","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Credibility medium: peer-reviewed hypothesis, not outcome data. photobiomodulation.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/scientific.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-37","title":"Clinical case series, home device: 1070 nm light plus neurofeedback in two adolescents with PANS/PANDAS","summary":"Indexed source (Front Psychiatry 2026; DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1865423; PMID 42756041): Hill describes two adolescents who still had PANS/PANDAS symptoms after more than 10 years of multidisciplinary care. In routine care they used home transcranial photobiomodulation with a 1070 nm near-infrared device plus swLORETA neurofeedback. Symptom scales, cognitive tests, caregiver report, and qEEG were collected. The abstract says symptom burden fell and function rose. Two people, two treatments at once, no control group: the light cannot be credited by itself. Home photobiomodulation in a neuroimmune pediatric condition, not autism, epilepsy, or brain growth.","condition":"other","topic_tags":"[\"PANS\",\"PANDAS\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"home_therapy\",\"near-infrared\",\"adolescent\",\"case_series\",\"neurofeedback\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1865423","source_title":"Combined transcranial photobiomodulation and neurofeedback in PANS/PANDAS: a retrospective case series","published_at":"2026-01-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. photobiomodulation. n=2 and confounded by neurofeedback. published_at year-level.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/scientific.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-36","title":"Clinical, small: near-infrared transcranial light vs control in 20 children with dyscalculia","summary":"Indexed source (Lasers Med Sci. 2025; DOI 10.1007/s10103-025-04561-1; PMID 40668423): Rastgar-Farajzadeh and colleagues randomized 20 children aged 6–11 with dyscalculia to eight sessions of transcranial photobiomodulation over three weeks (near-infrared multi-LED array) or a control group. Compared with control, the light group improved on number sense, calculation, mathematical reasoning, and visuospatial working memory; phonological results were less clear. The abstract does not say the control was a sham helmet. Twenty children is too small to set a therapy. Learning-skill scores, not brain growth. A specific learning disorder, stored under condition other.","condition":"other","topic_tags":"[\"dyscalculia\",\"learning_disorder\",\"neurodevelopment\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"near-infrared\",\"pediatric\",\"red light\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-025-04561-1","source_title":"Enhancing mathematical skills in children with dyscalculia: the effects of transcranial photobiomodulation","published_at":"2025-07-16","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Pediatric learning-disorder trial, not epilepsy.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/scientific.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-35","title":"Animal only: eugenol plus 830 nm photobiomodulation in a rat kindling model","summary":"Indexed source (Brain Res. 2025; DOI 10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149645; PMID 40228569): 59 adult male rats were split into control, pentylenetetrazole kindling, photobiomodulation alone (830 nm, 100 mW), eugenol alone (100 mg/kg), and both. Seizures were scored on a modified Racine scale, with brain chemistry also measured. This tests a drug-plus-light combination in rats. It is not evidence that red light, alone or with supplements, treats human epilepsy.","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"LLLT\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\",\"eugenol\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149645","source_title":"Neuroprotection in pentylenetetrazol kindling rat model: A synergistic approach with eugenol and photobiomodulation","published_at":"2025-07-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment. Abstract used here states the design; it does not quote the final Racine numbers, so those are not invented on this card.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-34","title":"Animal only: 808 nm transcranial pretreatment lowered seizure score and status epilepticus in young rats","summary":"Indexed source (J Biophotonics 2020; DOI 10.1002/jbio.202000095; PMID 32362066): Tsai and colleagues shone 808 nm near-infrared light on the heads of peripubertal rats before pentylenetetrazole. Compared with no light, mean seizure score, status epilepticus, and deaths were lower, and histology showed fewer dark neurons and less parvalbumin-interneuron cell death. Behavior and tissue in rats. Not a child study and not a home-device instruction.","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"status_epilepticus\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202000095","source_title":"Transcranial photobiomodulation attenuates pentylenetetrazole-induced status epilepticus in peripubertal rats","published_at":"2020-08-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment. Origin set MULTI because lab country was not re-checked from the affiliation field in this pass.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-33","title":"Animal only: 808 nm light before induced seizures and less hippocampal inflammation in young rats","summary":"Indexed source (Neurophotonics 2022; DOI 10.1117/1.NPh.9.1.015006; PMID 35345494): an 808 nm diode was applied to the head of peripubertal rats before pentylenetetrazole. The paper examines neuroinflammation, astrogliosis, and microgliosis after that pretreatment, building on earlier work from the same group that reported fewer seizures. This card is the inflammation paper, still in rats. It is not evidence that near-infrared light treats epilepsy in people.","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\",\"neuroinflammation\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1117/1.NPh.9.1.015006","source_title":"Transcranial photobiomodulation (808 nm) attenuates pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures by suppressing hippocampal neuroinflammation, astrogliosis, and microgliosis in peripubertal rats","published_at":"2022-01-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment. PubMed Jan 2022. Rat pretreatment study. Origin set MULTI because lab country was not re-checked from the affiliation field in this pass.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-32","title":"Animal only: 808 nm transcranial light plus valproate before induced seizures in young rats — dose direction mattered","summary":"Indexed source (BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022; DOI 10.1186/s12906-022-03562-9; PMID 35313886): Tsai and colleagues added 808 nm transcranial photobiomodulation to valproic acid in peripubertal rats given pentylenetetrazole. Scoring was not blinded. With low-dose valproate (100 mg/kg), add-on light reduced severe status and delayed stage-2 seizures. With high-dose valproate (400 mg/kg), add-on light made some seizure measures worse (higher maximum stage, longer stage 4–7, shorter latency to stage 6). Group sizes were small (n=3–6). A warning from rats, not a human protocol: combining light with a high antiseizure dose was not simply ‘more is better.’","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"valproate\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\",\"safety\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03562-9","source_title":"Transcranial photobiomodulation add-on therapy to valproic acid for pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in peripubertal rats","published_at":"2022-03-21","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment. Not medical advice about valproate dosing. Origin set MULTI because lab country was not re-checked from the affiliation field in this pass.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-31","title":"Animal only: photobiomodulation, Nlgn3, and lower seizure scores in a mouse temporal-lobe epilepsy model","summary":"Indexed source (Cell Biosci. 2023; DOI 10.1186/s13578-022-00949-6; PMID 36635704): in mice, photobiomodulation was tied to less neuronal injury and inflammation, higher Nlgn3, and recovery of hypoactivity, anxiety, and memory problems along with a lower seizure score. Silencing Nlgn3 removed the cell-level benefit in the dish. Mouse experiment. Not a human trial and not a reason to aim red light at a child with epilepsy.","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"preclinical\",\"mouse\",\"animal\",\"Nlgn3\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-022-00949-6","source_title":"Photobiomodulation improves the synapses and cognitive function and ameliorates epileptic seizure by inhibiting downregulation of Nlgn3","published_at":"2023-01-12","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-30","title":"Animal only: 30 days of 810 nm transcranial laser and fewer seizures in pilocarpine-treated rats","summary":"Indexed source (Mol Neurobiol. 2025; DOI 10.1007/s12035-025-05175-y; PMID 40658337): rats made epileptic with pilocarpine received chronic transcranial photobiomodulation (810 nm, 100 mW, 30 days) or comparison conditions. The abstract says seizure frequency fell and that neocortical pathways tied to excitotoxicity and oxidative stress changed, with a hippocampal phenylalanine change. Rat data only. Do not read this as a dose for a child or as evidence a home red light stops human seizures.","condition":"epilepsy","topic_tags":"[\"epilepsy\",\"seizure\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"near-infrared\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-025-05175-y","source_title":"Effects of Chronic Photobiomodulation with Transcranial Near-Infrared Laser on Seizure Frequency and Brain Metabolomics of Rats with Pilocarpine-Induced Seizures","published_at":"2025-11-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal study — not a human epilepsy treatment. Brazil-affiliated group (Cardoso, Arida) from the PubMed author record.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"BR","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/epilepsy.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-29","title":"Clinical, adults, no sham described: seven days of 1064 nm transcranial light and working memory in 48 adults with ADHD","summary":"Indexed source (Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2025; DOI 10.1089/photob.2025.0008; PMID 40244858): Lai and colleagues had 48 adults with ADHD do 1064 nm transcranial photobiomodulation for 720 seconds a day for 7 days. Working-memory and attention tasks improved on several harder versions (2-back, 3-back, cpt-3, cpt-4; all p<0.001), with the largest effects 2–3 weeks later. People who started lower improved more. Three of 48 (6.3%) had mild symptoms that resolved. The abstract does not describe a sham or control group, so practice effects are not ruled out. Adults only. Not a child ADHD trial and not a home-safety study.","condition":"adhd","topic_tags":"[\"adhd\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"near-infrared\",\"adult\",\"working_memory\",\"red light\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1089/photob.2025.0008","source_title":"Repetitive Transcranial Photobiomodulation Improves Working Memory and Attention in Adults with ADHD: A 4-Week Follow-Up Study","published_at":"2025-05-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. PubMed May 2025. No sham arm described in the abstract. Not pediatric.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":"/assets/placeholders/adhd.svg","image_kind":"placeholder"},{"id":"pbm-20261003-28","title":"Animal only: 808 nm photobiomodulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats used as an ADHD model","summary":"Indexed source (Lasers Med Sci. 2025; DOI 10.1007/s10103-025-04653-y; PMID 41068432): rats (SHR vs WKY controls) received 808 nm photobiomodulation for 25 seconds daily for 21 days, or sham. The abstract describes open-field behavior, diffusion MRI, and staining aimed at impulsivity, hyperactivity, inflammation, and connectivity. This is a rat model, not children with ADHD. It does not justify a home red-light helmet.","condition":"adhd","topic_tags":"[\"adhd\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"preclinical\",\"rat\",\"animal\",\"near-infrared\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-025-04653-y","source_title":"Photobiomodulation as a therapeutic approach for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in model rats","published_at":"2025-10-10","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal. Abstract does not give the numeric behavior result in the portion used here; card states design only plus that outcomes were measured.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-27","title":"Clinical, adults only: one session of 1064 nm transcranial laser vs sham and prefrontal oxygenation in ADHD","summary":"Indexed source (BMC Psychiatry 2026; DOI 10.1186/s12888-026-08391-5; PMID 42449279; NCT05802680, retrospectively registered): Salehpour and colleagues randomized adults to active or sham 1064 nm laser photobiomodulation on the right prefrontal cortex. A first stage included 223 adults with and without ADHD history; a second stage focused on 52 adults with ADHD and measured oxygenation. Active light was linked with more correct rejections on a 2-back task (p=0.040) and higher oxyhemoglobin (p=0.011) and total hemoglobin (p=0.038) than sham. No adverse events in the report. No sex difference. This is an acute adult laboratory session, not a child study, not a home lamp, and not evidence that light grows the brain.","condition":"adhd","topic_tags":"[\"adhd\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"near-infrared\",\"red light\",\"RCT\",\"adult\",\"sham\",\"prefrontal\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-026-08391-5","source_title":"Transcranial photobiomodulation improves prefrontal oxygenation and impulse control in adults with ADHD: a randomized controlled trial","published_at":"2026-07-14","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Adults. Retrospectively registered. Not pediatric.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"US","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-26","title":"Single-child case: urinary aluminum changed after pulsed 660 nm red light; not an autism treatment trial","summary":"Indexed source (Front Pediatr. 2026; DOI 10.3389/fped.2026.1819736; PMID 42416092): Zaharakis and Bogner report one 5-year-old boy with autism. Two baseline urine aluminum results were inside the lab reference range (10.0 and 9.8 µg/g creatinine; reference <40), unlike an older result from age 3. After pulsed 660 nm photobiomodulation (multi-diode red laser, 15 minutes, three times a day on days 3–8), urinary aluminum rose (58 µg/g on day 3, peak 98 in the abstract). One child, no control, and a normal starting value cannot show detox, brain repair, or benefit for autism. Stored so the claim can be read next to its limits. Credibility of the inference is low even though the journal published the case.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"red light\",\"660nm\",\"case_report\",\"pediatric\",\"metals\",\"overclaim_risk\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"low","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2026.1819736","source_title":"Alterations in urinary metals following pulsed 660 nm photobiomodulation in a pediatric patient with autism spectrum disorder: a case report","published_at":"2026-01-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Credibility low because n=1 and the mechanistic claim (aluminum clearance as autism care) is not established by this design. published_at year-level.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-25","title":"Clinical: low-level laser vs placebo for irritability in autistic children and adolescents aged 5–17 (n=40)","summary":"Indexed source (Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018; DOI 10.1007/5584_2018_234; PMID 29956199): Leisman, Machado, and colleagues assigned low-level laser or placebo procedures in 40 participants aged 5–17. Twenty-one received eight 5-minute active sessions over 4 weeks to the base of the skull and temporal areas. The adjusted difference on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist irritability subscale, baseline to week 4, was −15.17 favoring active laser (ANCOVA F=99.34, p<0.0001). The abstract says positive changes were still seen at week 8. Blinding, device wavelength, and whether operators knew the assignment are not in the abstract, so this card does not treat the trial as definitive. It is a symptom-scale study, not a measure of brain growth.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"LLLT\",\"red light\",\"pediatric\",\"irritability\",\"placebo\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2018_234","source_title":"Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Autism Spectrum Disorder","published_at":"2018-01-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Book-chapter journal. Abstract does not state wavelength or who was blinded. published_at year-level.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-24","title":"Clinical: open-label transcranial photobiomodulation in 10 autistic adults, not children","summary":"Indexed source (Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2022; DOI 10.1089/photob.2020.4986; PMID 34941429; NCT03724552): Ceranoglu, Cassano, and colleagues enrolled autistic adults 18–59 years for twice-weekly transcranial photobiomodulation for 8 weeks in a single-group design. Ten people finished (mean age 30). Five of ten met their responder rule (at least 30% lower SRS-2 and CGI-I of 2 or better). SRS-2 total and restricted/repetitive scores fell; functioning and quality-of-life scores rose. Three people had brief mild effects (insomnia, headache, warmth). Adherence was 98%. Adults only, no sham arm. Not a pediatric result and not brain growth.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"adult\",\"open_label\",\"red light\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1089/photob.2020.4986","source_title":"Transcranial Photobiomodulation in Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Positive Findings from a Proof-of-Concept Study","published_at":"2022-01-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. PubMed Jan 2022. Adult sample. Massachusetts General Hospital affiliations on the PubMed record.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"US","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-23","title":"Clinical, home device, no control group: six months of transcranial photobiomodulation in 21 children with autism","summary":"Indexed source (Children (Basel) 2022; DOI 10.3390/children9050755; PMID 35626932): Pallanti and colleagues retrospectively analyzed 21 children with autism (13 male, 8 female; mean age 9.1, range 5–15) who used transcranial photobiomodulation at home 5 days a week for 6 months (alpha and gamma protocols, 20 minutes, morning and evening). Parents were trained, including a first video check. CARS scores fell across the period (p<0.001). They also describe less noncompliance, parental stress, and rigidity, and better attention and sleep on the scales they chose. There is no sham group, so the association is not proof the light caused the change. Home photobiomodulation study, still preliminary.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"transcranial_photobiomodulation\",\"home_therapy\",\"red light\",\"near-infrared\",\"pediatric\",\"retrospective\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050755","source_title":"Transcranial Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Retrospective Study","published_at":"2022-05-20","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Home use is explicit in the abstract. Uncontrolled retrospective series. Italy-affiliated senior author group; origin IT from Pallanti practice context stated in the paper's author line as retrieved via PubMed author list, site of care described as home.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"IT","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-22","title":"Mini-review: red to near-infrared photobiomodulation as a hypothesis for autism, not a proof","summary":"Indexed source (Neurol Int. 2022; DOI 10.3390/neurolint14040071; PMID 36412693): Hamilton, Liebert, Pang, and Magistretti review why red to near-infrared photobiomodulation might touch mechanisms discussed in autism (connectivity, inflammation, glia, gut microbes). They argue from other conditions and early signals, and they do not present a new patient sample. A mini-review can justify trials; it cannot show that a consumer helmet helps a child.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"near-infrared\",\"red light\",\"review\",\"hypothesis\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint14040071","source_title":"Lights on for Autism: Exploring Photobiomodulation as an Effective Therapeutic Option","published_at":"2022-10-27","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Narrative mini-review, no new cohort.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-21","title":"Animal only: photobiomodulation in a prenatal valproic-acid mouse model of autism-like behavior","summary":"Indexed source (Int J Mol Sci. 2022; DOI 10.3390/ijms232416099; PMID 36555737): investigators gave photobiomodulation to pregnant mice that had been exposed to valproic acid, then studied the offspring. They report that several autism-like behaviors and increases in activated microglia and astrocytes were smaller after photobiomodulation. This is a mouse experiment, not a treatment for children. It does not show that red light grows a human brain or treats autism.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"preclinical\",\"mouse\",\"animal\",\"valproic_acid\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232416099","source_title":"Photobiomodulation Attenuated Cognitive Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in a Prenatal Valproic Acid-Induced Autism Spectrum Disorder Mouse Model","published_at":"2022-12-17","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. Animal cap. Not a human trial.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"MULTI","image_url":null,"image_kind":null},{"id":"pbm-20261003-20","title":"Clinical: Egypt — laser acupuncture vs no laser in 30 children with autism; both groups improved, laser group more on some scores","summary":"Indexed source (Pediatr Neurol. 2023; DOI 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2023.07.009; PMID 37552913): Elsheikh and colleagues split 30 children with autism into equal groups. Group I had low-level laser acupuncture twice a week for 12 sessions; Group II did not receive laser. Severity and language improved in both groups; the laser group’s improvement was larger (p=0.002 and 0.03). Plasma BDNF fell only in the laser group. miR-320 expression did not change with laser. The control is ‘no laser,’ not a sham light, so caregiver expectation is not controlled. Red-light acupuncture points, not a tested home helmet, and not a brain-volume study.","condition":"asd","topic_tags":"[\"asd\",\"autism\",\"photobiomodulation\",\"LLLT\",\"laser_acupuncture\",\"red light\",\"pediatric\",\"Egypt\"]","source_type":"journal_article","evidence_kind":"scientific","credibility":"peer_reviewed","source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2023.07.009","source_title":"Efficacy of Laser Acupuncture for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Clinical, Molecular, and Biochemical Study","published_at":"2023-10-01","collected_at":"2026-10-03T18:45:00+07:00","notes":"Indexed from the source named in source_url on 2026-10-03. Not medical advice. Word for archive search: photobiomodulation. PubMed Oct 2023. No-treatment control rather than sham laser.","infantile_spasms_priority":0,"origin_country":"EG","image_url":null,"image_kind":null}],"total":41,"limit":20,"offset":0,"filters":{"condition":null,"evidence_kind":null,"credibility":null,"origin_country":null,"q":"photobiomodulation"}}