Phototherapy May Enhance Cognitive Function in Dementia

Bright light therapy or phototherapy works by regulating the circadian rhythm, and may aid in improving cognitive function in people affected with dementia, according to the results of the clinical trial analysis published in the journal Brain and Behavior.

Dementia is characterized by progressive and severe cognitive impairment, motor deficits, and behavioral problems. As a major health problem in the elderly, dementia can lead to individual dependence, disability, and even death.

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‘Phototherapy significantly improved cognitive function in patients with dementia without affecting the symptoms of depression or sleep quality.’

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With the aging population worldwide, dementia has become an important public health problem and there is a desperate need for effective and low-cost treatment.

As drug treatment for dementia has limitations such as medical contraindications, limited efficacy, and adverse effects, non-pharmacological therapy has been increasingly regarded as a critical part of comprehensive dementia care.

Phototherapy which utilizes full-spectrum bright light has focused on sleep, with high heterogeneity among the interventions and studied populations, and reported results to remain inconsistent. However, the effect of phototherapy on cognitive function, the decline of which is the clinical hallmark of dementia still needs to be clarified.

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Therefore, researchers presented this systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effects of phototherapy on cognitive function, BPSDs, and sleep in older adult patients with dementia. They included 12 randomized controlled trials comprising 766 patients with dementia (426 patients in the intervention group and 340 in the control group).

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Phototherapy interventions significantly improved Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores that measure cognitive function. There were no significant differences in the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia score, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory score, Neuropsychiatric Inventory score, sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and Sleep Disorders Inventory score between the groups.

However, well-designed studies in the future are needed to explore the most effective clinical implementation conditions, including device type, duration, frequency, and time of phototherapy—or exposure to sessions of bright light to make it a promising non-pharmacological intervention for lessening symptoms of dementia.

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Source-Eurekalert

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