Abstract
Low-power, near-infrared laser irradiation has been used to relieve patients of various kinds of pain, but the precise mechanisms of this biological action by a laser have not yet been clarified. To investigate the cellular mechanisms induced by a near-infrared laser on the nervous system, we examined the effect of 830-nm laser irradiation on the energy metabolism of the rat brain. A diode laser was applied for 15 min with irradiance of 4.8 W/cm2. Tissue ATP content of the irradiated area in the cerebral cortex was 19% higher than that of the non-treated area. Laser irradiation at another wavelength (652 nm) had no effect on ATP content. The temperature increase of the tissue during irradiation did not depend on the wavelength. These results suggest that the increase in tissue ATP content did not result from the thermal effect but from a specific effect of the laser operated at 830-nm wavelength.
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