Phototherapy and Dementia: What a Peking University Study Reveals

Researchers from Peking University examined the potential role of light therapy in managing dementia symptoms, publishing their findings in Brain and Behavior. The work adds to a growing interest in non pharmacological approaches that might help alleviate cognitive challenges in aging populations. The study pool encompassed data from twelve separate investigations, collectively including 766 participants. Among these, 426 received phototherapy while the remaining 340 served as controls. In the experimental setups, light sources were positioned about 60 centimeters from participants, bathing them in bright LED light or blue and green wavelengths at intensities reaching up to 14,000 lux. The light panels were kept at eye level or higher, and sessions extended up to two hours. In several trials, phototherapy helmets were also employed to deliver the light exposure. Over an eight-week period, the researchers tracked changes in several domains relevant to dementia care. Although mood symptoms and sleep quality did not exhibit measurable improvements, cognitive function showed a statistically significant upswing as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination test. This finding points to a potential role for light therapy in supporting cognitive health in dementia, even if mood and sleep metrics do not shift in tandem. The authors of the study emphasize that these cognitive gains could position phototherapy as a potential breakthrough option in dementia treatment, a field where demand is set to grow substantially in the coming decades. Current global estimates project a tripling of dementia cases by 2050, rising to more than 150 million people worldwide, with the aging of populations being the primary driver. These projections underscore the urgency of exploring safe, accessible interventions that may complement existing care strategies. The present evidence base continues to evolve, and researchers stress the importance of standardized protocols, larger trials, and careful evaluation of long-term effects before phototherapy can be widely adopted in clinical practice. Only through rigorous, replicated research can clinicians determine how best to integrate light therapy into comprehensive dementia care plans and what subgroups of patients might benefit most from this approach. Source attribution: Brain and Behavior, related to a Peking University study.