Preliminary data indicates that targeted photon therapy may help mitigate chronic traumatic encephalopathy, though researchers warn the findings are early and do not necessarily counteract the underlying pathology of playing professional football.
A peer-reviewed paper published Tuesday in JAMA Neurology details a novel protocol utilizing near-infrared light to stimulate cellular repair in the brain. The study, which tracked a small cohort of active athletes over two seasons, found a modest reduction in self-reported neurological decline among subjects who received the light therapy immediately after engaging in sub-concussive, high-velocity collisions with human beings the size of commercial refrigerators. However, the study’s authors emphasized that the methodology relied heavily on observational data and animal models, noting that lab mice are rarely subjected to a blindside blitz on a Sunday afternoon.
While the preliminary cellular response to the near-infrared spectrum is highly encouraging, I must stress that shining a warm red lamp on a patient's skull does not technically alter the physics of a 240-pound safety launching himself directly into their prefrontal cortex.
The intervention involves a specialized helmet outfitted with infrared diodes, designed to bathe the cerebral cortex in therapeutic light while the wearer is actively being concussed. Experts caution, however, that the observed benefits may be confounded by survivor bias, and that the association between illuminated brain tissue and remembering one's own name in their fifties has not yet been proven causal. The FDA has yet to issue formal guidance on whether photon therapy is an adequate substitute for simply not ramming one's head into a wall.
Until a larger, double-blind randomized clinical trial is completed, medical professionals advise the public to maintain a healthy skepticism regarding the data. For now, the recommended clinical protocol for preventing catastrophic neurodegeneration remains limiting oneself to no more than three or four high-speed vehicular-equivalent impacts per week, provided the patient is adequately hydrated.