Abstract
Light affects almost all aspects of human physiological functioning, including circadian rhythms, sleep–wake regulation, alertness, cognition and mood. We review the existing relevant literature on the effects of various wavelengths of light on these major domains, particularly as they pertain to recovery from mild traumatic brain injuries. Evidence suggests that light, particularly in the blue wavelengths, has powerful alerting, cognitive and circadian phase shifting properties that could be useful for treatment. Other wavelengths, such as red and green may also have important effects that, if targeted appropriately, might also be useful for facilitating recovery. Despite the known effects of light, more research is needed. We recommend a personalized medicine approach to the use of light therapy as an adjunctive treatment for patients recovering from mild traumatic brain injury.
Highlights
While considerable in-roads are being made to understand how early and active intervention may improve the outcomes from mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs), the individual’s environment is an oft-ignored but important consideration
There are numerous, interconnected systems that are impaired or altered by mTBIs and whose function can be influenced by exposure to light
Outcomes from two small-scale trials indicate that daily blue-wavelength light therapy may be effective for reducing daytime fatigue and improving sleep and efforts are underway to corroborate these findings
Summary
While rods respond to changes in brightness and are sensitive to dim light. It is plausible that, despite the numerous potential benefits of blue light on circadian rhythms, fatigue, alertness and cognition following mTBI, blue-light or blue-shifted white light treatments may be poorly tolerated and may worsen PTH in some individuals At present, this specific possibility has not been directly explored in treatment studies using blue light for treating symptoms of mTBI, but research on this topic would be a welcome addition to the literature. Extrapolating the findings from both healthy individuals and those with other neurological conditions as well as animal studies, there may be additional unidentified benefits of light therapy for mTBI beyond those that have been identified Both polychromatic white and blue lights may be useful for resetting aberrant circadian rhythms, improving sleep, decreasing daytime sleepiness and fatigue, increasing alertness, and decreasing depressive symptoms. Decisions to engage in light therapy should involve judicious evaluation of the benefits and potential risks involved
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